Nemesis: Chronicles
by Lightless Flame
Summary: ST: Nemesis prequel, the first of a trilogy I'm writing. This chronicles a younger Shinzon, details his Reman background and his rise from slavery.
1. Prologue: A Time for Everything

STAR TREK: NEMESIS- Chronicles- By the Lightless Flame  
Story Concept Created by John Logan, Rick Berman, and Brent Spiner  
All Star Trek characters and related concepts are property of Paramount. All concepts created solely by the Lightless Flame are the property of the Lightless Flame. Violators will be prosecuted by Federal Law.  
  
PROLOGUE- A Time for Everything  
  
Darkness.  
The pulsating lights throbbed in the large banquet room, and the din of alien voices filled the heavy air. A subtle clanging of glass could be heard as the Romulans dressed with darkness toasted to the writhing figure in the center of the room on an elevated stage area.  
19 years old, the human woman lifted her arms and slowly wrapped her hips around to the heavy beat of the music. The shadows played off her thin waist and her muscular thighs, beating in the foggy dimness. Her well angled legs twisted around a metal pole in the center of the stage, now in between her legs as she rode it sideways. Her long hair draped down to the stage as she leaned back, her exposed breasts perked into the air as her bare tan skin flushed with excitement.  
"So, the proposition...it is complete?" A well-decorated Romulan sitting far from the stage watched the exotic dancer with enthralled eyes, his voice low and controlled. Besides him, a Reman sat uncovered and unashamed, sticking out obviously in the room of Romulans.  
"You have great entertainment for such an occasion," the Reman licked his bony lips and ran his claws up his muscular thighs.  
"Well," the Romulan turned, his gaze meeting the Remans, "This isn't just any business deal we're celebrating, now is it?"  
The Reman smiled sinisterly, "Of course not."  
The dancer looked out into the crowds as she rubbed the pole up and down her back and firm butt, her eyes catching the gaze of the Reman. She tried to conceal the curious grin that appeared on her face, and she approached the edge of the stage. A few Romulans in the room glanced somewhat anxiously at the strange alien, and then watched her as she slinked into the crowds through the tables to the one where her master and the Reman sat.  
"Aradia...give our guest a show he won't forget..." the Romulan grinned and shoved a large glass of Romulan Ale to her.  
She greedily swigged the Ale in a few quick gulps, and brushing the soft strands of her hair from her face, she lowered her hands to the Reman's broad shoulders. With a look of quiet approval, the Reman leaned back and growled assertively. His small eyes shined threateningly at the Romulans around him despite the modern Allies they had formed.  
Aradia closed her eyes and let the music overcome her, her face relaxing into a trance-like seductive grin. The Ale burned in her throat more than usual, and she reached her arms around the monster's bony cold neck as she lap-danced on him. She soon felt two clawed talons reaching around the curve of her small hips, and the coolness that exuded from the Reman gave her chills. Inside her mind, she entered a world where she wasn't really there. A world where she wasn't lap-dancing for a Reman or for a Romulan master. But instead where she was in control of her own body, her own mind most of all.  
Aradia opened her eyes when the strobe lights suddenly became dimmer and slower in her vision. Swaying to the side she looked down at the face of the Reman, who smiled wryly and pulled her body closer, her groin now grinding into his fiercely. The quiet voices around her turned from a clear hush to garbled foreign language, and everything slowed down as if she was in an old-fashioned movie and someone had hit "pause".  
"The bitch still tries to fuck even when she's unconscious!"  
Aradia felt her eyelids falling shut like heavy metal doors, and desperately she held onto consciousness as she heard the voice of her master becoming more vicious than she'd ever heard it before. She felt the talons digging into her back greedily, and she felt the heavy body of the Reman pressing against her. The talons reached into the tight shorts and Aradia cringed when she felt the cool air in the room suddenly hitting her now bare groin. She felt something cold and flat behind her as she tried to push the heavy body off of her. She heard the scream that erupted from her throat, not by her own conscious will but by some terrified force inside that knew what was happening. It was the same little girl inside her that she could hear crying at night as she thought about her past and its mistakes, or how she herself was nothing but a mistake. And every time, the little girl was overwhelmed by the pain, unwillingly pushed into the bloody mess of adulthood too soon. Just as now she unwillingly gave into the hard touch of the Reman's metal- cold body.  
The last thing she heard before she lost awareness was the wild cheering above her that sounded as distant as earthen thunder was to Romulus, and the low rhythmic growls of the Reman that felt as unreal as a ghost.  
Darkness.  
  
It was night.  
The shirtless young man was alone in the barren mud-packed room that he called his and several other of his brothers' "home". The cool breeze of the Reman world whipped around more violently than usual, and in the distance fires burned brightly against the black land below. The atmosphere outside was that of a typical Reman evening, a blood red-grey of the distant clouds the only color in the consistently opaque world.  
"Shinzon?" a voice growled from the incline outside the elevated room that led down to the larger room below.  
The 18-year-old ignored it and stepped to the window that stared out into the patchy oblivion of the Reman sky, letting the foggy shadows fall across his muscular pectorals. For a moment, Shinzon closed his eyes and savored the cool night. He brought his hands to the sill, gently tracing the moist mud with his fingertips as he opened his eyes. The softness of the mud welcomed his dry flesh, and he relished every second of soft soil he felt in the rock-hard world. As the shadows decorated his hardened face, his calloused demeanor was betrayed by the longing gaze he held into the sea of stars above. The all-too-human emotion in his eyes seemed to deny the very existence of his dominantly Reman upbringing.  
Suddenly a white light quickly ripped across a clear break in the sky. Shinzon frowned momentarily and cocked his head to the side, pondering the curious light. Nevertheless he was still enthralled by the colors his eyes absorbed, unmoving from the spot even as he heard the footsteps of his closest Reman brother, Vkruk, pounding up the incline.  
The Reman stopped at the doorway, his voice still a low growl. "Shinzon? Come. Tonight is the night you are initiated."  
Shinzon let a deep sigh rumble in his chest. He turned momentarily, opening his mouth to protest, but the absolute expression on Vkruk's face stopped him.  
I am Reman. Like them. Like us. I am not human. I have to do this. I have no choice.  
"Darkness," Shinzon bowed his head and leaned on the palms of his hands. His voice was barely more than a choked whisper. "That's all there is, Vkruk...just the Romulans and us. Forever fighting. Forever hating one another and trying to destroy one another. One side has imposed darkness and one has accepted it. And then... just...darkness." 


	2. Chapter One : Angel's Destruction

STAR TREK: NEMESIS- Chronicles- By the Lightless Flame  
Story Concept Created by John Logan, Rick Berman, and Brent Spiner  
All Star Trek characters and related concepts are property of Paramount. All concepts created solely by the Lightless Flame are the property of the Lightless Flame. Violators will be prosecuted by Federal Law.  
The title of this chapter, "Angel's Punishment", is a title of a song copyrighted by Lacuna Coil.  
  
CHAPTER ONE - Angel's Punishment  
  
The fires of the Clan of Vrhizak burned lower in the early morning hours before the labor began, and the bevy of Reman males gathered around in small sects as they ate whatever they could scrounge from Remus' bounty. Along the campsite, home-made tents of varying sizes flapped in the putrid air that seemed to darken the whole morning to a darker haze of grey as still half-asleep Remans climbed forth.  
Aradia slowly stirred, her mind coming back to consciousness bit by bit. She first felt the chill of the hard ground below her, and then the thick moist smell that it perpetuated. Instinctually she cringed in disgust, and she snapped her eyes open when she heard a loud distant growl that brought back the memory of the Reman. The growl seemed to reverberate in her mind like a flashback that stopped at the point when she had lost consciousness.  
The most suffocating darkness she'd ever known invaded her eyes, and Aradia slowly lifted herself onto her elbows. At first she thought that she had gone blind, but looking from side to side, she peered into the changing shadows and saw distant movement. Aradia felt a rising panic in her throat, and swallowing hard, she tried to sit up.  
"Oh God..." Aradia whispered to herself. She rubbed her forearms, bringing herself close to her own body in the chilliness before peering down at her body in disbelief.  
Her clothes that she usually wore over her work outfit were torn and barely covered her nakedness. Aradia, feeling ashamed despite being alone, gathered the spoiled silky cloth and tried in vain to cover herself more. Her body felt as if it was recoiling from a trauma she couldn't quite remember.  
"Oh God...no...This can't be happening," Aradia heard her own voice and it scared her. She hadn't sounded that weak since she had first been sold from the streets of Earth.  
She pushed the memory from her mind and tried to steady herself with her hands. She stood shakily, her legs threatening to collapse like thin sticks buckling under their own weight. The terror inside her continued its steady rise as she turned a full circle to see the surroundings. Senator Hiremus was no where in sight.  
The area was a sea of dark ground with large black rocks stained by a coal-like residue. The sky's dark gray met the horizon, broken by the rough line of jagged rocks. The orange of the fires in the distance played off the sky's color, turning it into a sick oxide color closer to the jagged ground. Aradia thought of the ancient dumpster pits that poured forth the same poison on Earth, and she suddenly felt trapped in the darkness. It closed in and threatened her calm sanity.  
You'll never be anything you stupid whore.  
He had done this to her. Senator Hiremus...he had abandoned her. Like the others...he had abandoned her.  
I promise...parties, fine food...and shelter.  
"Damn you!!" Aradia suddenly exploded, and she threw her fist into the oblivious sky above. The panic turned into pure rage within seconds, and with tears of frustration, Aradia blindly struck out at whatever was around her. She closed her eyes and fought the tears, but as the memories of her father, her brother and her two previous masters flashed in her mind, she couldn't help but collapse onto the ground in a choking scream of agonizing desertion.  
Aradia landed hard on her wrists in a new spot with a loud splat, and she frowned through her pain. She looked at her hand in curiosity and nearly flew to her feet when she realized the matter she'd landed in. Pure sickness crossed over her bruised face, "Goddamnit! I'm in a shit field!"  
  
Syzhok cracked his wrists as he rose from the small fire, and stepping away from the camp, he took a deep breath. He looked down at his talons and nitpicked through their silver curve, cautiously testing their sharpness against his forearm. His small eyes narrowed as he went further away from the camp to the lavatory grounds, his nostrils picking up a scent that didn't fit in with the rest of the waste of Remus.  
Suddenly he heard a choked cry that resembled a cry he had never heard before. Syzhok froze and lowered himself to the hard ground, his talons caressing the Reman soil. As silent as the small stars that shimmered above, he crept forward and hid behind the large flat rocks that jutted from Remus. His eyes then caught the view of the strange human, half- naked, a few meters away in the center of the waste-field.  
By uncontrolled instinct, a low threatening growl rumbled in his throat. The shadows shifted and he felt the human's anxiety as she heard his brash threat from the darkness. As the human turned in his direction, he had to hold back an even louder groan of surprise. It was a woman.  
From his line of sight, he could see the curves of her small body, her long thick hair flowing freely around her gently arched tanned shoulders. A million feelings ran through Syzhok all at once: curiosity, cautiousness, suspicion, anger.but most of all, power. He realized that with her size alone, she was a damned creature on Remus. The rush of emotion flooded into his chest, and he crept forward.  
Aradia tried to stand as she swirled around, forgetting about the waste around her. The soft footfall suddenly came closer and as Aradia glared in its direction, Syzhok slinked from the shadows, revealing himself. A warm breeze moved across the surface of the harsh land, and Aradia froze, her hair falling over her shoulders. In shock she tried to conceal the trembling of her body. As the Reman's small eyes met hers, his smooth skin seemed to lighten in surprise.  
"Go away!" Aradia barked, trying to quell her own fear. She fell back and tried to scoot away, freezing when she hit the back of a large thin rock a meter away.  
Syzhok pondered her for a moment and then his face turned furious at her demands. But his small eyes still glimmered in youthful curiosity. Syzhok was much younger than the ones Aradia had seen, his skin smoother and the thick bones in his face more angular. Across his torso, he wore nothing but what he slept in and the youthful muscles in his arms flexed as he stepped towards her. A large tattoo across his pectoral muscles glimmered in the eerie firelight, and Aradia found her eyes drawn to its tragic beauty. Syzhok ignored her stares and leaned down to reach his claws to Aradia's neck.  
"Get off! Get off!" Aradia squeaked, unable to thaw herself from the sub-zero terror that ripped through her veins.  
"Who are you?!" Syzhok glared down at her, his face inches away. Aradia flinched and found her sense of smell assaulted by his musk. Nausea inside the pit of her stomach grew and she had to choke back her own vomit. Syzhok sensed her oncoming illness, and he rose with his claws holding her thin neck, still feeling uncertainty about her in the pit of his large chest.  
"Aradia! I'm Aradia...God, get OFF of me!" Aradia nearly screeched the words.  
Syzhok snarled, not wanting to kill her, but wanting to at least silence her. He hissed, more quiet, "How dare you address me!"  
Aradia moaned in anger and finally reached up with her hands to try to pry the monster's claws from her neck. Syzhok was slightly amused by her attempt to escape, and he dropped his claws, letting her fall to the ground. Aradia, surprised, rubbed her neckline sorely and looked up at him. Her large violet-blue eyes shimmered, begging for her freedom without words.  
Syzhok, closer to her, looked at her body and felt a small tinge of pity. Her human state seemed deplorable to him, and her near nakedness only made him more cautious and puzzled. He had never seen a female before, but the subtle curves of her body and its color stopped him from killing her on the spot. Syzhok rubbed his neck with his claws ambivalently, growling with every breath in frustration. He doubted her potential to be a threat to the Vrhizak Clan, but out of all his training, he failed to find a reason not to take her as the greatest threat of all.  
Aradia sensed his insecurity, and she lifted her hand, "I'll make you a deal!"  
"No!" he roared back at her, trying to buy time.  
Aradia fell back at the volume of his voice, and she felt it shake the very rock she fell back on. It didn't deter her desperation to get as far away from the Reman as possible though. "Wait! You give me a good hideout and I will give you whatever you want...parties, illegal drugs..."  
Syzhok's stern facial expression stopped her. He crossed his arms and took a deep breath of frustration. "Silence! Where did you come from?"  
"I...don't know!" Aradia bit her lip. "I was knocked out...I think I was drugged. I know you're a Reman...so this must be..."  
Aradia suddenly had the flashback of the Reman before she'd fallen unconscious. The feeling of his heavy body pinning her...his claws...  
Syzhok waited for the rest of her story, and in his mind's eye he imagined what would happen if he didn't end her life. Vrhizak would personally kill him for insubordinance and disloyalty. Irritated by her lack of details, lifted his hand again and pinned her neck quickly, threatening to crush her larynx. Aradia pushed herself closer to the rock, trying to breath.  
"Everyone remembers their passage into Remus!" Syzhok pushed harder.  
"Okay...so this is Remus. There has to be something you want! I can get it for you...just please, let me go!" Aradia felt tears springing in her eyes. Her temples began pounding and she felt every heartbeat.  
"But everyone remembers..." Syzhok growled more insistently.  
"Then I'm a black mark on that record!" Aradia choked.  
Syzhok blew out of his nostrils hard. "Why did you come here? You are a woman!"  
"And you're a man!" Aradia swallowed hard. "Now let me go and I'll show you what I can do..."  
"You will tell me whether you are free or enslaved."  
"I'm free!"  
"Romulan ally!" Syzhok's eyes grew more infuriated, and he pushed harder. Aradia suddenly felt as if her head was going to explode, and she threw her hands up. The Reman let go a bit, and waited for an answer.  
"Ok! Okay..." Aradia struggled to regain her breath, annoyed at Syzhok's bluff. "I'm a personal escort for Senator Hiremus. I do what he wants me to..."  
"That explains nothing!" Syzhok loosened his grip and stood, half- expecting a lie. He flexed and loomed over her. Aradia's eyes searched him for weakness, "He's Romulan! He had a party...and I had to entertain for a group of his. There was...a man there. I danced for him and then...I woke up here."  
"No man would bring a woman to Remus!"  
Aradia clenched her teeth in frustration, which chased the anxiety away. As she retold the story, she felt the bitterness towards the Reman and Hiremus overcoming her. No matter what happened, it now didn't matter whether she lived or died to anyone else. She was here on her own accord now and there was only a sliver of hope left for her rescue. Aradia frowned and spat at him, "He wasn't a man! He was a monster."  
Syzhok felt his blood boiling inside him again, "What?!"  
"I said he was a Reman!" Aradia hissed at him, her rage matching his by pure adrenaline. She threw her right knee up into the air between his legs as he was caught off guard by her statement. Syzhok, undressed for battle, took the hit in his testicles and screeched loudly, his fangs glimmering with a ferocity that sent chills through Aradia's spine. A sick crack echoed in the rock fields, and Aradia smiled widely, knowing she hit the spot. Syzhok threw his head back in alarm and Aradia darted from under him as she tried to ignore her physical weakness. She rose quickly and rushed back and forth in a zigzag to a large rock. Falling behind it while struggling, she peered back to see Syzhok's shadowy silhouette attempting to stand. She closed her eyes as she leaned against the rock, pressing her back to it. She felt relieved.momentary safety.  
Suddenly someone cleared his throat loudly in front of her, and Aradia's eyes snapped open. She half-expected to see more Remans, but when she saw three large Romulan guards, she felt even more surprised. They stood in the impending darkness, heavily armed and right in front of her about 3 meters. Sick smiles appeared on their faces, and the middle one stepped forward. In one hand he bared a Romulan disruptor rifle, and in the other, a makeshift Teral'n.  
At first Aradia felt even greater relief at seeing a non-Reman, but when she saw their smiles, she could nearly feel malevolence seeping from them like an aura. Aradia grasped the ground with her hands besides her, trying to stay calm.  
"Well look what we have here..." the first Romulan smiled twistedly. The smaller Romulan stepped behind him and flexed his fists together. "Now where did you come from?"  
Aradia eyed the weapons, "I'm Aradia. I've been abducted..."  
The small Romulan laughed loudly, "Haven't we all?"  
The large Romulan with the Teral'n sneered. "Shut up, Cha'Thel. So, Aradia, which illegal camp joint did you come from?"  
Aradia's mouth dropped open, "I swear, on my humanity! I am a personal friend of Senator Hiremus. I'm sure he's looking for me right now!"  
The third Romulan spoke up, his face angry, "How dare you insult the name of Hiremus."  
Cha'Thel frowned, "The man who raised our pay grade?"  
The large Romulan rolled his eyes, "Yes, you idiot. Alright then, Aradia. How did a 'friend' of Senator Hiremus end up on Remus? I'd love to know."  
Aradia felt the panic rising again. "I told you, I've been abducted!"  
Suddenly the other two Romulans pointed their disruptors straight at Aradia. Their faces grew harder and they stepped closer, as cold and unfeeling as stone. Aradia stiffened her whole body, her face becoming hotter by the moment.  
"I see, so you were abducted? Do you know what we do to people who are abducted down here...?"  
Aradia whimpered, "I wasn't abducted HERE, I was abducted from up there!"  
The third Romulan impatiently thrusted the disruptor at her, "She lies. I want first dibs on gutting her."  
Aradia whispered loudly, "I'm not lying!"  
Cha'Thel snickered, "Or maybe she is telling the truth, men. Perhaps we should examine her to see just how abducted she is."  
Aradia turned her face away, instinctively becoming defensive, "Don't you dare touch me..."  
"She's right. Let's not touch her. Let's just shoot her..."  
"First one of the whole day! And it isn't even time for work to start..."  
Cha'Thel laughed hideously, "And burn her body with the rest of other Remans."  
Aradia glared at all three of the Romulans, the anger building inside like a heat wave. The cool tip of the Tirel'n pressed harder, her skin beginning to tingle.  
The largest Romulan sneered, "You see...Aradia, and normally we would allow such abductees the right to live. But you, my darling, have been utterly confused for a male. Whoever this imaginary abductor is obviously didn't understand the irony of dropping you off in the middle of the largest male Reman labor camp."  
Aradia felt her voice trembling, "Labor camp?"  
"Don't play stupid, woman. This is hell and you know it..."  
Cha'Thel laughed to himself, "It's more than obvious with your attire and your injuries. Probably sustained from your work here as an illegal prostitute and transport good!" Cha'Thel grabbed Aradia's forearm and hissed in her face, "Got a good beating from your Reman master last night, didn't you? Nice claw marks..."  
Aradia shivered and snarled at Cha'Thel, glaring him off and grinding her teeth in frustration. "I swear to you..."  
  
Syzhok rose on his knees, holding his groin precariously. He looked around the campsite for help, knowing his roar must have been heard throughout several hundred meters.  
"Syzhok?"  
Syzhok turned towards the hoarse voice, and he felt relief when he saw Vrhizak approaching him cautiously. Vrhizak frowned deeply, looking about at the darkness. He offered his arm to Vrhizak, still cringing at every movement.  
"I got kicked!" Syzhok choked and tried to stand, his pride hurt.  
Vrhizak's ancient face frowned more deeply, "By whom?"  
"A human! A female!"  
Vrhizak's eyes widened and he quieted his rough voice, "It was a she?"  
Syzhok got to his feet and balanced, not willing to move. "I don't know any man who would kick this hard..."  
Vrhizak pressed his lips together and put his hand on his hip. "I'm not surprised. You're foolish to go into the darkness to confront someone without your gear."  
Syzhok snarled to himself, "She's not even half my size. What harm could she have done, I asked myself."  
Vrhizak raised his brow and looked around, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Get what you deserve."  
The young Reman scowled and followed suit with Vrhizak, whose hand firmly rested on the thick-barreled handle of his Reman knife at his side. Despite his position as a slave, Vrhizak was highly regarded and respected as one of the oldest Remans in the Clan, one who had seen the days before the Romulans had outlawed Reman texts and writing, one who knew the "old ways" and how to use their secrets.  
Vrhizak's sharp night eyes focused on a small movement in the distance, and Syzhok followed his line of sight. Five meters away, three blurry figures bent down over a rock and jammed their arms down. Syzhok growled under his breath and almost darted forward when Vrhizak firmly spread his thick arm in front of him.  
A frantic voice echoed, "Let me go!"  
Syzhok's eyes narrowed as he hissed, "That's her! The guards have her..."  
Vrhizak took a deep breath of concentration and stood momentarily, his mind working to decide his next move when he nodded with a stiff neck to the direction of the voice.  
Syzhok smiled approvingly, "I want my vengeance!"  
Vrhizak frowned, "No! We will find out her purpose."  
"She is useless to us!" Syzhok looked at him flustered.  
Vrhizak scolded him harshly, "Any human is of use to us. You know WHY. Perhaps she will have ties to the outside world. Perhaps...she can help us."  
Syzhok softened his voice, "I'm skeptical. She looked neither from the Federation nor Romulan Star, like she claimed."  
Vrhizak's eyes glimmered, "Then we can at least use her as something."  
Syzhok stopped for a moment and a small twisted grin crossed his face. Vrhizak rolled his eyes and ignored the teenager's mental activity. They slinked side-by-side silently, Syzhok feeling enthralled while Vrhizak became anxiously cautious. The Romulans had powerful weapons and the last thing he needed was another dead Reman brother, especially one as close as Syzhok. Within a meter of the back of the large rock, the older Reman lifted the gleaming ancient blade and settled back on his legs, coiled like a snake waiting to strike.  
Aradia's voice chimed in front of the rock the three Romulans peered over, "I swear to you! I've been abducted! I'm not a sex slave here!"  
"We can make you anything we want you to be, you little bitch."  
Syzhok looked at Vrhizak, expecting the opportune moment to occur instantly. Vrhizak stopped him though, waiting patiently. Syzhok saw Vrhizak's blade and he grabbed a large slab of rock, cocking it in his hand approvingly.  
"So you're too good for a Romulan, but you'll fuck a Reman?" The Romulan spat in Aradia's face, his spit glimmering on her face.  
Aradia's face was cold, unflinching for the Romulans in stubbornness, "I've never fucked a Reman!"  
"Liar! Tell us the truth, bitch!" The unarmed Romulan came forward and slapped Aradia's face. Aradia's head flew to the left, hitting the rock with a sickening thud. She moaned loudly, trying to move in protest. Cha'Thel reached back, ready to stab her throat with the Tirel'n while the larger Romulan pressed himself against her chest, keeping her down like an animal.  
Cha'Thel's muscular arm swung down with the lethal bladed stick, when suddenly a curved claw caught his tricep and stopped him dead mid-throw. In the shadows, Cha'Thel looks up at his arm and sees the claws that hold his arm. "Fire!! Open fire!"  
The larger Romulan rose from Aradia's body quickly, but too late to escape the hard rock the younger Reman smashed towards his head. A clear spurt and crack of blood and bone echoes violently while the remaining Romulan cocked the disruptor. Vrhizak's leg flew out from under him and struck him, knocking the disruptor blast off target.  
The bright blast struck the rock right next to Aradia's head. Aradia's eyes opened wide in shock, and she gasped as she is called back from half-consciousness by the blast's heat and light intensity. Syzhok dropped the limp body of his victim and lunged at the disruptor-bearing Romulan, who stared in confusion at the battling of Vrhizak and Cha'Thel.  
Syzhok barreled into the confused Romulan, who fell hard to his back, the wind knocked from him. Using brute strength, Syzhok straddled his victim, extended his claws and uppercut him, jamming his long talons up into the Romulan's much more delicate chin. Another crush of bone and fluid filled the battle scene, and Aradia screamed as she saw the claws extending far into the Romulan's jaw.  
"No..." the Romulan moaned loudly, falling back. Syzhok smiled wickedly and ripped his claws from his chin, stained with bright red blood. The Romulan was still alive but severely disabled, weakened by pain and blood loss. In dying anger, Syzhok rose and kicked the Romulan's body, looking over at Aradia in caution and coldness when he heard her scream of horror at the slaughter.  
Meanwhile, Vrhizak, despite his age, already had his blade to Cha'Thel's throat as Syzhok wiped his claws on his pants. Cha'Thel jabbed uselessly with his long Tirel'n, and Vrhizak roared to his younger companion. Syzhok snickered and grabbed Cha'Thel's wrists, forcing him to drop the long Tirel'n.  
Cha'Thel spurted with whatever threat came to his throat, "You'll get it!! All of you! All of you are going to die!!"  
Syzhok snarled and his long teeth glimmered as he threw the Tirel'n into Cha'Thel's chest without hesitation. The thin jagged blades ripped into the Romulan's chest, and he screeched in pain as a cough of blood spurted onto Syzhok's dark armor.  
Vrhizak pressed his claws to Cha'Thel's throat, his eyes burning with hatred, "We might die, but we will go quickly...and not before you suffer your own death slowly and before our eyes."  
Cha'Thel looked at Vrhizak's eyes as his consciousness faded. The pain that ripped through his chest threatened to make him scream again in pain, but he bit his tongue, not allowing the Remans the pleasure of hearing his agony. Finally he succumbed to the darkness, and Vrhizak felt the monster's life leaving his small body. Satisfied, he let the Romulan drop, and Syzhok snarled in the victory over the small Romulan band.  
Aradia heard the Reman's victorious hollers over the corpses of the three Romulans, and she blinked in pure disbelief at her luck. She pressed herself to the rock harder, believing that in moments she had gone from bad to worse situation-wise. The Romulans had torn off the remaining part of her top during the beating, and large welts had begun to form on her breasts from their beatings.  
Syzhok turned and looked at Aradia, his eyes scanning her body critically.  
Vrhizak stepped forward slowly, a slow breeze seeming to shift the shadows as his glowing eyes looked down at her. "I am Vrhizak."  
Aradia looked up at him, cowering at his size. She was speechless, nodding slowly for lack of a better action. Her eyes moved to Syzhok, and remain locked on the younger Reman who stepped forward threateningly.  
"Who are you? Tell the truth this time. And don't you dare pull another escape attempt...or what will happen to you will be ten times worse than what we just did to these worthless pieces of Romulan flesh."  
Vrhizak bared his fangs, "Syzhok!"  
Syzhok pursed his lips and glared at the older Reman. Vrhizak accepted the challenge and firmly looked at Syzhok in the eye. Vrhizak pushed him with an unnecessarily hard shove, and he lowered his glance at Aradia. "It is a good idea to listen to him. As you can see my patience is waning."  
Aradia struggled to find the words, and her lips moved with great effort as nothing coherent came out. She swallowed hard and tried to relax, but her eyes kept wondering to the bloody mess in between them. She imagined Syzhok's claws going through her own jaw, and she cringed. The images shook her sanity and it took effort to even stay sitting with the nausea that followed.  
"Please...I am not a sex slave. I am...not supposed to be here. I was a mistress for a Romulan Senator, and I was abducted by a man. I remember him...he appeared much like you two do now."  
Vrhizak looked at Syzhok, and he lifted his brow, "Now why would one of our own bring a weak human female such as you here?"  
"I'm not that weak," Aradia wrapped her arms around herself, feeling smaller by the second. "I don't know...I can't remember anything. I just don't know...we were...dancing, and then..."  
Aradia lost the words. She tried in vain to remember anything from before losing consciousness, but it was just a black hole of memory and pain she couldn't explain. Her suspicions she denied with her whole mind, trying to quell the fear inside that a Reman had raped her. Vrhizak looked at Syzhok, who read her thoughts quietly and skeptically smirked. "She must work with us then. The Romulans will kill her."  
Vrhizak frowned, "Would you rather the responsibility to kill her fall on us?"  
Syzhok sighed, his growl loud in frustration, "She is a worthless human! A female."  
"We don't know that yet. We will NOT kill her," Vrhizak shot back at him garishly. He leaned down and peered closer at Aradia, who looked back up helplessly.  
Aradia closed her eyes, blocking the images from her mind. "What is this place? Do I get a choice to leave or not?"  
Syzhok cackled with a growl rumbling in his throat. He bent down slowly besides Vrhizak and brought a claw to the curve of Aradia's chin, raising her head to look at him. "My darling, you will never leave this place after this day! Not alive at least. And most likely... Not dead either."  
Vrhizak scowled further at him, "That is enough. We will take her to camp and we will decide what to do with her then."  
Aradia looked back and forth wildly, looking for a way out. Syzhok roughly grabbed her forearms and dragged her to her feet. Stumbling and still sore from her excursion, she looked at Vrhizak desperately for companionship. Vrhizak met her gaze momentarily, not compassionate towards the weak human. Aradia read his face and felt her own falling in complete despair.  
The way back to the glowing fires in the distance is short, and Aradia was pushed by Syzhok's rough handling as he grabbed both of her wrists and led from behind. Their silhouettes appeared momentarily against the horizon, Aradia fighting the shameful tears that threatened to burst from her swollen eyes. 


	3. Chapter Two : Destiny High Above

STAR TREK: NEMESIS- Chronicles- By the Lightless Flame  
  
Story Concept Created by John Logan, Rick Berman, and Brent Spiner  
  
All Star Trek characters and related concepts are property of Paramount. All concepts created solely by the Lightless Flame are the property of the Lightless Flame. Violators will be prosecuted by Federal Law.   
  
CHAPTER TWO - Destiny High Above  
  
In the center of the largest makeshift shelter, shadows flickered from a central fire and threw orange-red shadows against the smooth glittering walls. The shadows of Remans moved quickly, and there was a low rumble of growls and unsure grunts. A throng of Remans stood before Vrhizak who was on an elevated dirt incline as he sternly pointed from Aradia to the rest of them as he told the story. Aradia sat against the wall, her face blank and in awe at the massive throng of Remans.   
  
Aradia wrapped her fingers around a dirt mug resting in her lap, and a heavy burlap-like material was slung over her shoulders to hide her nakedness. Aradia sighed perturbed by the Remans, and she watched each and every Reman's move in complete distrust for the skeleton-like monsters.   
  
Vrhizak glanced behind him, pointing at Aradia, "Does anyone know anything about this woman? About where she came from, about what time she was brought here?"  
  
A large middle-aged Reman stood slowly. He came forward and motioned to Aradia with his single-bladed Reman dagger. "I saw a light last night when I was stealing water. In the sky, to the degree of Thalia."  
  
Syzhok scoffed, "Most likely the Thalian Kolaskian Star, Chyzeck."  
  
The Reman spat back at him, "No! It moved. Faster than the Kolaski's..."  
  
Vrhizak raised his hand, "Alright, very well. What time did you confiscate more goods?"  
  
"Three fingers of time after the Red Time."  
  
Aradia looked around, bewildered by the new terminology, and she sat forward. Vrhizak glared behind him at her with bared teeth, warning.  
  
He continued looking away from the woman, "Did anyone else see or hear anything?"  
  
Silence rang in the throng of dirty battle-scarred warriors, and almost all the eyes glared at Aradia. She was either a threat or an advantage to these Remans, who had never dealt with a human female before and couldn't read her value. Aradia felt split, a part of her wanting to fight and another too frightened.   
  
Vrhizak sighed, "Seeing as how no one has an opinion suddenly...Brothers, we must figure what to do with her."  
  
"Spill her blood!"  
  
Vrhizak frowned, flustered, "Now what would we gain..."  
  
"Strike a deal with the Romulan guards."  
  
"Fool! They would kill us all for having a whore. Besides she means nothing to them. They were going to rape her and kill her before we showed up."  
  
Aradia opened her mouth to protest, but Syzhok held up the palm of his clawed hand to stop her.   
  
Chyzeck crossed his arms and tried to quell the bloodthirstiness in the crowd, "Regardless of where she came from, we can always use her as another slave for our regiment."  
  
Vrhizak sighed deeply, looking back at Aradia, who is staring down his young Syzhok. The Reman studied her, and looked back at Chyzeck. "How do you suggest we keep her from Romulan discovery? They won't kill a male capable of labor, but certainly they would a female. And can this woman even do our labor?"  
  
Chyzeck snickered, "Cut her hair. Give her our clothes. Give her a trial run in the mines and if not...we spill her blood."  
  
Aradia felt panic rising in her throat, "Wait one second! My hair isn't going anywhere!"  
  
Syzhok suddenly came forward and brutally grabbed her right forearm. A few low grunts erupted in the room, and Syzhok smiled sadistically as he peered into her face. "I want the pleasure of making her male. And if she can't work...I can take care of spilling her blood as well."  
  
"And me as well!"  
  
Vrhizak glares at Syzhok, enraged at his clan's foolish desires. "Calm down, all of you!"  
  
A Reman who had not spoken yet raised his arms, "Brothers! Do you expect her to be able to lift the crystals? To take the beatings, the damned lashings and electrocutions?"  
  
Vrhizak pondered and spoke back more quietly, "We must try to take advantage of this situation. It would be foolish to waste a perfectly good laborer that can work for OUR purposes- not the Romulans."  
  
A few groans of agreement resounded, and suddenly a taller and older Reman, Minz'Tel, stepped to the front of the crowd. His facial bones jutted out in near starvation, and his face was a darker color than most of the others. Vrhizak's eyes immediately met his in familiarity, and the old Reman raised his hand for silence. The room fell dead quiet, all recognizing his power and experience.   
  
Minz'Tel began with a deep breath, "Vrhizak, brother of the prophecy, why don't we consult with Vkruk?"  
  
The silence overcame the room more heavily, and Vrhizak stood back a few feet, his hands crossing behind his back. At the sound of the name Vkruk, every Reman in the room seemed to freeze.   
  
Vrhizak began slowly, considering his words carefully, "Minz'Tel, you know the prophecy is merely a legend, nothing more. I will believe that Vkruk and his Shinzon are our real hope when I see a ship. An army. And the clans coming together."  
  
Minz'Tel let a twisted smile cross his face. "But I've heard they have already begun one!"  
  
Vrhizak continued his argument. "Where can I find him, brother? Tell me where. He has been undercover for the past 2 years, ever since rumors of a mighty Dominion sprung."  
  
Minz'Tel held out his claws helplessly. "Humans are banished from Remus. There are only a few that understand, as well as Vkruk, the cycle of the human."  
  
Vrhizak's voice grew dark, "This is a female! Not a male."  
  
"But perhaps Vkruk can speak with his Shinzon."   
  
Aradia frowned and memorized the names. She sighed and tried to look for an exit to the room, but the darkness overwhelmed her all-too-human senses. The shadows threw large optical illusions of doorways that were merely dark shades and walls that were nothing more than another tall throng of Remans.   
  
Vrhizak shook his head in dismay and he turned from the throng, "Like I said, brother...show me where I can find them, and I will. But until then we must hide her or make her male now."  
  
Aradia suddenly shouted loudly, interjecting, "I refuse to be a male...YOU! Whatever...you call yourselves."  
  
The room was surprised by Aradia's bold outcry. A few amused grunts echo and Vrhizak turned to her, "Then what would you like to do, human?"  
  
Aradia swallowed hard, looking up defiantly, "I want freedom. Let me go! I can take care of myself. This whole thing is a huge mistake!"  
  
"You expect the Romulan guards to help you? To make a deal with you? Or perhaps you will sell your body to them? And then what? They will kill you."  
  
The anger boiled forth and Aradia hissed sarcastically, "Like you said...I'm a human female. Why would they want to kill me? I mean nothing to them, and I'm sure Senator Hiremus will give a grand reward for my return. I could certainly sell my body as I have many other times and get out of this mess."  
  
Vrhizak raised his voice vehemently, "And I fear that's what got you here in the first place. That is...if your dishonorable insulting demarcation of one of my Reman brothers is true!"  
  
There was a silence, and Aradia glared out at the room. A new wave of anger crossed her face as she pushed herself from Syzhok and tried to stand. "If only you would have just let me handle those three Romulans myself! My powers of seduction and dealing are stronger than you would think for a HUMAN FE-male..."  
  
Syzhok watched her and sneered, "Are you a fool? They had a Tirel'n to your throat!"  
  
Aradia snapped back at him, turning, "But I hadn't been killed yet. I still had time! And it would have gotten me off this hell-hole of Remus!"  
  
The throng watched with silent morbidity and Vrhizak turned to her, his claws flexing stealthily. The patience on his face was nonexistent, and his brow became darker in the shadows. He leaned down to Aradia's level, holding out his sharpened talons. Aradia glared right back, her eyes unrelenting in their fierce stare. Syzhok's breathing became deeper and almost growling in his marked annoyance.   
  
Vrhizak spoke loud enough to the whole throng, directed at Aradia, "You are an ungrateful little whore. For the record, Remus is neither a hell nor a hole, but instead is a victim of Romulus. We are a dark people, Aradia, and the simple fact that Syzhok and I didn't rip that precious life from your chest ourselves is your ultimate redemption."  
  
Aradia backed up, and she looked into Vrhizak's beady eyes with less courage than before. Her expression changed from anger to surprise at his statement, Vrhizak entrancing her as she peers at the Reman closer than ever. Vrhizak's pale skin glimmered in the fire light, his long teeth seeming longer than before, and his face more ancient and mysterious.  
  
Aradia whispered, "I'm not a whore...I might sell my body and my soul to the service of mankind, but I'm not a whore. If you knew half my story...you would know that I am certainly no whore."  
  
Vrhizak's voice became a whisper, "What is it that you want, human?"  
  
Aradia cringed back her choking plea. "I want my life back!"  
  
The older Reman snarled and threw his claws up to the throng angrily. "I have lived for almost seventy years! You are lucky to be alive, child."  
  
Aradia nearly suffocated in her apprehension, "Then I just want to live...please, I am not a threat to you and I obviously have no goods to offer to a race as your own. Please..."  
  
"So, if you want to live...then you better keep your insignificant mouth shut while you suck in your chest, take whatever beatings you get, and stay on the good side of every single Reman in this camp..." Vrhizak snarled sharply, the throng agreeing with nods.   
  
Aradia swallowed hard, and Vrhizak continued, "If you so much as harm or insult one of my brothers, I will kill you myself."  
  
Aradia couldn't believe that the Remans weren't going to let her go. Her eyes shimmered with a mist of desperate tears, and she struggled to find the words to save her life and get away. If not the latter, at least save her own life without being chained to service for the Remans.   
  
Aradia looked at the dark crowd, "Why do you want me so much? You're a bunch of slaves but you're just making me a slave yourselves!"  
  
She looked out at the throng that offered no answers. Before she could be stopped, she heard herself shouting loudly. "You heard me...all of you! Why do you want me so much when you're just proving you're just as bad as the Romulans?!"  
  
Chyzeck snarled angrily, coming forward as he pointed a claw at her, "Quiet human! You heard us before. You will be our slave, a slave among slaves! And one that won't question us..."  
  
Vrhizak grinned, his long fangs shimmering, "She will be a slave like one of us, but we will not hold her as a captive slave like our Romulan masters. Aradia, you will serve our purpose but you will have our protection if you earn it."  
  
"But..."  
  
Vrhizak cut her off, "Silence!! You WILL earn it."  
  
Aradia smirked hatefully and resisted the urge to throw herself at him. Vrhizak noticed her restraint and he clapped loudly. "Very well. Brothers! Make her one of us."  
  
Aradia's glance darted to the throng, and she fell into the back of the shelter when she realized the whole crowd closing in on her.   
  
Chyzeck rubbed the barrel of his Reman knife. It serrated single-edge glimmered and Aradia caught the Reman's twisted grin, realizing his motive. Two clawed hands grabbed her from behind harshly, lifting her almost effortlessly. Aradia's legs flailed in protest, an ugly laughter ringing behind her.  
  
Syzhok caressed his own blade, bringing it to the long strands of her hair, "Stay still or our knives might slip..."  
  
Chyzeck grabbed her legs and straddled them between his knees, holding her still. More clawed hands held her up, and Syzhok took her thick shoulder length hair in his hands. His claws ran through it, joking seductively, and Chyzeck raised the mortal weapon. With a hard slash, the Reman sliced clean through Aradia's hair close below her ears, and jerked her head away from the strands.   
  
Aradia felt the cool air hitting her now bare neck, and she screeched, "Let me go!!   
  
Chyzeck sneered, and he held up the soft bunch of blond hair. Aradia was crushed when she sees it, her only asset she had ever solely controlled.   
  
"Missing this, aren't you?"  
  
Aradia was silent but glared at him, her eyes shooting daggers. She looked beyond the circle of monsters surrounding her, and she spied Vrhizak's back turned to the chaos, seemingly staring into the fire in the center.   
  
Aradia's eyes shifted to focus on another Reman in the room, the only other one not engaging in her humiliation. He is Minz'Tel, and he stood with his hands solemnly crossed in front of him, his face watching her intensely. Aradia went from Vrhizak and Minz'Tel with her large eyes as she begged for help inside her mind. Vrhizak didn't turn, and Minz'Tel only took a visible deep breath in unreadable emotion.   
  
Aradia heard her own voice, which seemed unreal in the darkness and desperation, "Please...help me."  
  
2373 - Secret Reman Underground Corridor  
  
The secret corridors of the Reman underground were mostly dark, shadowy and lit by the arcane steaming vents that glowed orange from the center of Remus. Ancient and unused most of the time throughout the eras of slavery, the corridors had long been abandoned and its pathways remembered by few Remans.  
  
One of the Remans who remembered most of Remus' secrets stood at an elevated platform in the center of the largest corridor he himself had chosen, nicknamed "The Foyer". In the chosen room deep within Remus, a circuit system of hollowed out rock flowed with much of the light that decorated the entire hall a twisted orange color. The ceiling of the Foyer was hollowed out grey rock that shimmered with clear diamond-like crystals not yet discovered by the Romulan forces. The corridor was at least 45 meters high and 70 meters diagonally across, etched with ancient carvings, some of which were worn and nearly faded.  
  
"At attention!" the old Reman bellowed, and he watched as a human male emerged from the hallway to the corridor behind him. The shadows fell across the human's pale skin, and his hazel eyes scanned the surroundings with intense curiosity. The Remans in the room immediately fell into two split lines at his approach, motionless and deadly in their reaction speed.   
  
"Vkruk, this is perfect," the male approached the old Reman and let a small smile cross his lips. He scanned the ceiling of the Foyer, approving.   
  
The Reman nodded solemnly, and he motioned with his claws. "Shinzon, you're space dock."  
  
A tiny sadistic grin crossed Shinzon's full lips. "Not yet, brother. But soon."  
  
Across the grey ground, the unusual figure walked along the center of two straight lines of Remans. Shinzon wore a sleeveless white cotton-like tank top that breathed easily in the stuffy environment of the mines, and his pale skin was marred heavily with the dark charcoal-like stains of Remus' planet-blood. His pants were a solid black jean-like material that churned against the toned muscles of his legs, and the muscles in his arm still gleamed with human sweat in the humid environment of the mines. His face was the only clean part on his body, and though his head was shaved, its roughness was a witness to the lack of bodily maintenance materials available in the pits of what the Romulans called "Black Hell". His clear eyes glanced back and forth confidently at the two lines of Remans standing before him in the huge spacious Foyer.  
  
After circling his Reman men, Shinzon cleared his throat and took his place at the platform. He spread his arms and leaned down on them, his thick muscles in his arms flexing as he tested the platform's strength. Admiring his dark brothers before him standing at attention, Shinzon let a thin smile cross his lips. In a low tone of voice he began, "Brothers...Fathers. Sons... This is the day the prophecy you have been waiting for begins its fulfillment. This is the day we will set course for the glory of the Reman world, and the unification of two worlds who's destinies have long-been denied."  
  
The quiet growls and grunts of approval made Shinzon's skin crawl, and he brought his hands behind his back satisfied. Shinzon let his eyes drift to oldest Reman in the room who stood in the shadows at the left of the Foyer. He was taller than the others, and though his age was apparent the youthfulness of his body and its strength showed through powerfully.  
  
Shinzon drew a deep breath, "As you all are well aware, this is my chosen Viceroy Vkruk. He will be my second-in-command, and as you know, the disciplinary leader of all our chosen allies."  
  
Vkruk nodded, "Brothers."  
  
Shinzon continued, "Our goal here, brothers, is simple. We are going to build a weapon that will topple the forces that enslave us."  
  
A few Remans before him shifted in anticipation, and he glared at the throng as they looked at one another. A random growl erupted. "Are going to kill the guards?"  
  
Shinzon's let his face twist into a sadistic grin and he looked for the voice. A smaller Reman raised his hand insecurely and returned eye contact with him.   
  
Shinzon lowered his glance and spoke to him across the room, "What is your name?"  
  
The Reman cleared his throat, "I am Baxhenos."  
  
Shinzon folded his hands and turned, walking across the platform as he slowly descended. "Well, Baxhenos...we are going to do much more than just kill the guards. We are going to obliterate the whole Romulan government."  
  
The hushed voices turned into loud grunts of surprise, and Vkruk turned to look at Shinzon. Shinzon smiled more widely, enthralled with the shock in the room and the sound of his voice as he claimed his bold plan. He knew he had their attention fully.  
  
"The only thing we need is a force large enough to support a coup and a force brave enough to risk everything for liberation."  
  
A large Reman stepped to the front, breaking the two lines, "How, Shinzon? How do you begin to even suggest we do this? Our resources are barely enough to survive..."  
  
Shinzon dropped his hands and raised his brow, "We will use outside sources, of course."  
  
Baxhenos stepped forward behind the larger Reman. "Brother, I respect your ambition, but who would help our world? We can't bring our own clans together."  
  
Shinzon smiled, his white teeth glimmering in the eerie light, "That too, my friends, is about to change. You see, in the strength of our people there lies great capacity to fight! To conquer...to overcome. And that we shall. You see, with the correct weapon of mass destruction, of stealth and power, we can undermine the Romulans to the point where they destroy themselves. And when they do, I, Shinzon of Remus, will seize power and rewrite the history of our people for a brighter, better tomorrow!"  
  
Vkruk lifted his head in approval, "Eloquently stated!"  
  
Shinzon looked at him in contemplation, bringing his fingers to his rough chin, "I like that word- eloquent."  
  
"Shinzon, your words are powerful. But how do you intend on finding resources?"  
  
Shinzon looked back at the lines, and he felt his muscles tensing up. He watched the shadows fall powerfully over his built human form now calculated for Reman labor and the hard lines of his Reman brothers. "That's where you come in. All of you. There is talk of the Dominion War you have all heard about...a war of epic proportions. Many of you, your brothers, fathers and sons, may even become a part of that war. If the rumors about the Romulan military tactics are true, we will all be exposed to worlds unknown to this one. The Romulans will use us, my brothers, as bait and shock troops...but they will not know that that very decision will be their downfall."  
  
Baxhenos' face cringed in anger, "I will never fight, much less die, for a Romulan!"  
  
Shinzon lifted the palm of his hand, silencing him. "No, my brother, don't you see? Many may die but the greater glory is that we will have access to materials we would have never dreamt of. Knowledge, brothers! People outside who can become sympathizers to our cause."  
  
Shinzon stopped talking, and he looked at the two dark lines of Remans. The room was split in tension. Half were skeptical and Shinzon read it in their faces while the other half seemed intrigued by the idea. But all were obviously turned off by the idea of fighting for the Romulans.   
  
Vkruk softly began, "When is there a chance like this in the universe, a chance for our world to seize liberty? We must take advantage of it- if not for our future but our children's."  
  
A voice of agreement rose from behind the crowd, "We must keep this coup from the Romulan guards. They haven't discovered this ancient corridor yet?"  
  
Shinzon scoffed, trying to work them as he wished, "They are fools, too busy to appreciate the secret passageways to the corridors forged by our ancestors long before our enslavement."  
  
Vkruk peered at him hard, "Shinzon, how do you intend on increasing our force?"  
  
Shinzon spread his arms, surprised at the inane cleverness of the Remans before him. "Find those that rebel. Those in the Romulan holding areas that refuse to succumb to the Romulan control. Those strong... those that for the same reason, I chose from our clan in this very room."   
  
Baxhenos stepped forward, putting a hand to Shinzon's forearm, his face now like a child's in wonder. "We can work anytime in the shadows! They won't see us if we sacrifice rest and stalk the shadows for this very purpose."  
  
Shinzon looked at Baxhenos' clawed hand and smiled, hiding his puzzled frown at the strange gesture. "Just as we have already forged the first part of the plan. As brothers here, I invite everyone for a blood ritual tomorrow before laboring begins. To seal the contract between our legacies to ensure our insurrection…"  
  
Shinzon looked at Vkruk, but a reflection of himself in the well polished part of the gray floor caught his eye. He traced the lines of his hard body in its Reman attire, his large foreboding muscles that seemed too large for his frame, and finally the dark smudge of his face. His eyes narrowed, feeling human shame and strangely insane pride for his plan at the same time. "Everyone's insurrection."  
  
Vkruk lifted his large arm, "Yes! For the freedom of us all!"  
  
A unified roar of approval ripped from the throng, and Shinzon snapped from his thoughts. He felt pleased at their cooperation and nodded at Vkruk approvingly. As the favorable rumble died down, Shinzon spied a Reman in the back that wasn't cheering, but standing solemnly alone. The Reman looked familiar to Shinzon, his stare meeting his just as intensely.   
  
"Minz'Tel…" Shinzon nearly gasped in a whisper, and he glanced at Vkruk. The Remans continued murmuring about the plan, and Shinzon motioned to Minz'Tel with his eyes. At seeing his old ally, his chest swelled with an even stronger hope in his plan to involve forces outside of Remus.   
  
Vkruk notices Shinzon's actions and he distracts the Remans. "Brothers! I invite you to rest here as a refuge for the remainder of the evening. Shinzon and I have some business to attend to. There are some illegally attained drinks in the corridor to the East side of this sacred spot."  
  
Shinzon watched Minz'Tel and he lowered himself from the platform, Vkruk following him closely on the other side of the crowd. Shinzon motioned to Minz'Tel to follow him and Vkruk followed suit, his eyes glaring at Minz'Tel when he saw him.  
  
Minz'Tel quickly and discreetly pulled Shinzon aside when they met at the door of the Foyer. "Shinzon...I have news from the Clan of Vrhizak. You need to hear this."  
  
Shinzon exited the Foyer, leading Minz'Tel with Vkruk behind them both. "Relax, brother. We will talk in my private corridor down the East hall. Shall we?"  
  
  
  
The room Shinzon led Minz'Tel into was more lit and much smaller, unlike the others, and Shinzon spread the flames of the fires on three topped sconces upon entering. Minz'Tel winced when he entered the small room off the ancient corridor, but Vkruk showed no visible signs of discomfort at the luminous fiery light. The Viceroy lowered his glance at Minz'Tel and moved to the side of the wall, glaring from a darker shadow.   
  
"Excuse the light, please," Shinzon's voice was smoother and less growling than it was when he was dealing with the other Remans. Minz'Tel noticed and he relaxed in his presence, but glanced at Vkruk and immediately felt the tension.   
  
In the center of the circular room a fire pit burned brightly, and Shinzon slowly sank into one of the four aged silver-colored metal chairs on the side of it. Vkruk remained at the place along the wall near the entrance, and Shinzon watched as the smaller Reman glanced back nervously at the Viceroy.   
  
Minz'Tel began, "I come in the utmost peaceful negotiations, brother Shinzon."  
  
Shinzon was amused, "Then anxiety is not necessary."  
  
Minz'Tel nodded in agreement, and he came forward. Shinzon motioned for him to sit, and Minz'Tel was relieved to rest. "Thank you, kind brother. As for the news, Vrhizak has obtained a human."  
  
Shinzon raised his brow, unimpressed. He brought his fingers together in a "v" as he rested his elbows on the arm rests. "Nothing new. Humans come here occasionally. Most don't last long..."  
  
Minz'Tel held out his palm and shook his head. Shinzon stopped and Minz'Tel leaned forward, looking into the young man's eyes, "It is a female."  
  
Vkruk grunted in surprise, and Shinzon gripped the armrests of the chair with his hands, immediately affected. In his eighteen years, all of his dreams from the time he was fourteen seemed to center around the very prospect of one day meeting a female human. Shinzon's mind immediately thought of the possibilities, from what she might look like to how she would act. He tried to hide it, but he would have died to know more about her at that very moment. Minz'Tel saw the boy's curiosity and fervor, pleased with his reaction.  
  
"A woman?" Shinzon's voice was no more than a whisper.   
  
Minz'Tel responded likewise, "A human, Shinzon."  
  
Shinzon looked at him and sat back, pondering. The female could have any sort of ties to the outside universe, especially if she was on Remus. Her story intrigued him, and he already felt his heart pounding at the hope of meeting a female human. Would there be attraction, like he'd seen with adolescent Remans and their females? Would she protest being with him, or had she even seen a human herself in a long while? What did the Romulans do to her, and what did Vrhizak's Clan do to her? Shinzon took a deep breath, "You aren't betraying my trust, Minz'Tel, like you did Vrhizak's in the past?"  
  
Minz'Tel looked at Vrhizak and shook his head vigorously, "No, of course not. My loyalty has always been to this clan."  
  
Shinzon sneered for a moment, and he began to rise. "Well...this changes things. Vkruk?"  
  
The Viceroy stepped forward, already protesting when he saw the expression on Shinzon's face, "We cannot assume she will be an advantage or that we can get her here!"  
  
Shinzon stood, and when he saw the disapproval on Vkruk's face, he felt betrayal creeping into him like a black oozing poison. "This is a chance for me- and us- Vkruk."  
  
Vkruk snarled, crossing his arms. "Your roots are with us."   
  
Shinzon frowned and turned, "We have nothing to lose in taking the chance. Minz'Tel, what else do you know about her?"  
  
Minz'Tel glanced at Vkruk, "With graciousness I continue. This female is named Aradia. She claims that she was a female accomplice to Senator Hiremus."  
  
Shinzon's eyes widened, "Hiremus!"  
  
"Yes. Apparently she was abducted and left here. Probably for dead. I am surprised by her young age and her ability to survive, however. The Vrhizak clan has not been kind to her."  
  
"I am certain of that," Shinzon sighed. "What do you mean by female accomplice?"  
  
Vkruk and Minz'Tel glanced at one another, and Vkruk cleared his throat.  
  
Minz'Tel crossed his claws, "She was his mistress. A common whore, brother."  
  
Shinzon considered his words, and Vkruk came forward from the shadowy sides of the walls. He frowned. "What are your intentions, my son?"  
  
Shinzon looked at Vkruk sternly. "Well, obviously...we must go get her. Bring her here; see what outside influences she can offer."   
  
Minz'Tel let an approving nod pass, "A bold plan, brother."  
  
Vkruk growled loudly, "I disagree, Shinzon. She may not be an advantage to us!"  
  
Shinzon frowned at Vkruk, "And we let her rot with Vrhizak? Where she'll continue to be a common whore? She's my age, correct?"  
  
Minz'Tel nodded, "I assume."  
  
Shinzon looked at Vkruk, "All the more reason, brother. With a female, I will be able to use her for reconnaissance and she might even have abilities to help us."  
  
Vkruk shook his head, "There is no guarantee she will help you."  
  
"Vkruk, brother...there is no guarantee she won't!" Shinzon felt giddy. A huge smile crossed his face and Minz'Tel considered his plan carefully while Vkruk was visibly disgusted by the idea. Despite Vkruk's adamant refusal against the plan, Shinzon wanted to meet the human female more than anything. Vkruk's continuing persistence against obtaining the female only made him want her more.  
  
Minz'Tel slowly proceeded, "It is three months journey to Vrhizak's clan grounds. She was there when I left. She was a slave to Vrhizak most of the time. Sometimes a plaything of Syzhok...that Reman's poor excuse for his best guard."  
  
Shinzon's mind raced. Three months away from the Romulan guards would provoke unrelenting suspicion. She wouldn't trust a Reman and Shinzon didn't want to rely solely on the scattered minds of his Reman troops to obtain her. Glancing at Vkruk, Shinzon cleared his throat, "This gives us one choice then. She will not trust a Reman. I must go to get her myself."  
  
Vkruk's voice was nearly a roar, "This is foolishness! I will not allow the redeemer of our race risk his life for such a fallible cause. Shinzon, brother! Son! I protest."  
  
Shinzon glared at him, "She won't trust a Reman, Vkruk! You have been nothing but kind to me my whole life. She has not had that experience with our kind."  
  
Vkruk sighed, "You are putting the whole plan at risk, my son. For a common whore!"   
  
Shinzon sighed, and he leaned his chin on his hand. Minz'Tel sat up straighter, waiting for the human's decision. Shinzon felt split, but the prospect of meeting a woman ignited a fire inside him that refused to die. The needs of his Reman brothers were strong in his mind, but he needed her as much as she needed him on Remus. The circumstance would drive them together, and Shinzon could finally know another human. "She must obviously hate the Romulan senator that let her get abducted. She will help us once she becomes privy with REAL Remans. Like us."  
  
"Your rationalization makes enough sense, but logic doesn't apply here," Vkruk stepped around Minz'Tel and sank into the chair next to him.   
  
Shinzon turned to Minz'Tel, resolute, "Minz'Tel, accompany me to obtain her. I will not be able to get her without violence."  
  
"Not with Vrhizak, unfortunately."  
  
Vkruk stood, infuriated, "And the guards here! They will notice your absence. You are the only human for tens of kilometers around."  
  
Shinzon imagined the impossible situation, but then a light smile crossed his lips, "Tell the guards here simply I have died in an accident. I fell down a shaft and my body was incinerated. They will be satisfied their most hated prisoner is dead. And if they search for me, they won't find me, now will they?"  
  
"This is foolishness."  
  
Shinzon glared at Vkruk again, his patience waning. Minz'Tel noticed the tension and sought to abate it, his natural anxiety rising again. The last thing he needed was an all-out brawl between the two most powerful figures in the clan.   
  
"Your courage, Shinzon, is admired. And Vkruk, brother, I pray that our past differences will be resolved when I return with Shinzon unscathed and our redemption wholly satisfied," Minz'Tel looked into both their eyes, distracting them momentarily. He folded his hands and bowed his head.   
  
Vkruk turned, frustrated. He looked back at Shinzon and inside his hardened spirit he felt an agony over the threat against him. Shinzon sourly frowned and ignored the vibe he felt from his confidant's mind. Vkruk pleaded with Shinzon inside his mind, but at the bitter turn of Shinzon, Vkruk turned around and bowed his head in defeat.   
  
Shinzon noticed Vkruk's reaction and he sighed, "Vkruk, I will return in little time. Seven months at the most. And when I do, I will have the secrecy and possibly outside human contact to help with the coup."  
  
Vkruk's voice was quiet, "She will be a common whore, nothing less, nothing more. The Vrhizak clan will kill you if they find you trying to take her.  
  
"They won't find me then," Shinzon paused. "Besides, we have nothing to lose."  
  
Vkruk sneered, "Except the leader of our emancipation!"  
  
"Silence! I am no leader until…I have a ship, a weapon, and Romulan blood on my hands," Shinzon tensed his arms, looking down at his rough calloused hands. He saw the plan unfolding in his mind like a wondrous story. A small smile crossed his lips in a daydream.  
  
Minz'Tel spoke up, "And in time you shall have all three."  
  
Shinzon glanced up, focusing on the walls with a lowered glance. "Hopefully with the oncoming war, brother. Hopefully...very soon." 


	4. Chapter Three : Figure Eight

STAR TREK: NEMESIS- Chronicles- By the Lightless Flame  
Story Concept Created by John Logan, Rick Berman, and Brent Spiner  
All Star Trek characters and related concepts are property of Paramount. All concepts created solely by the Lightless Flame are the property of the Lightless Flame. Violators will be prosecuted by Federal Law.  
  
CHAPTER THREE – Figure Eight  
  
Shinzon slowly got down in the shadows, and he felt the presence of the few heavily fragrant Vrhizak Clan males present in the outside area. They hadn't seen him enter the grounds, and he heard the high-pitched desperate cries of a creature he'd heard when he was a boy being abducted by the Romulans. That creature was a female.  
Shinzon froze when he realized that it indeed was a woman, and he pressed himself against the huge flat side of a rock. It hid him well, and peering over the edge, he could see a Reman standing in front of a small human. Shinzon narrowed his eyes and saw the features of the human.  
Almost immediately he felt his eyes becoming entranced. The human was definitely a woman by her delicate facial features, and he cringed when he saw the brusque length of her hair. Almost Romulan in length. The uniform she wore deceived him at first, but not enough for him to turn back and forget the rescue. At the sound of her screams, Shinzon immediately thought of Svana and her own screams of terror as the Romulans ripped her from her beloved Tran, using disruptors as the weapon of murder.  
Shinzon shook himself from the memory, and he felt his eyes narrowing as the brutality grew before him. He hadn't moved an inch to try to save his scientist parents when they had been killed, but this time he had a chance. He could right a wrong that never seemed to stop happening before his eyes.  
  
Aradia closed her eyes when she saw the Reman's claws rising into the air above her. The darkness swarmed and she heard her voice moaning in protests as she took the brutality from the Reman claws. She leaned back against the wall, exposed and bloody, still shaking her head at the Remans demands almost in second nature. Like when she was a mistress, she faded from her body and imagined that it wasn't her being beaten. She was far away in the darkness and its merciful grip. The voice she heard wasn't her own, but some other woman's voice who couldn't escape. But she could. She was safe inside her mind...far from Remus. Far from the night. Far from everything she knew to be true- from the male uniform they forced upon her to the abuse she suffered at their hands. The Reman's musky smell overwhelmed her senses and kept her from blacking out. Aradia suddenly felt his cool claws remove themselves from her neck, and she slowly let her eyes open. The glimmer of the Reman's heavily- armored suit with platinum-like material hurt her eyes in the shadows, and she shivered violently. The Reman came within inches of her face, "You worthless bitch..." Aradia tried to inhale a deep breath, but was stopped by the constrictive uniform that pressed her breasts to a minimum and reduced her curves to nothing. Aradia leaned her head back as a swoon of a headache swept over her, and the hot breeze from the large central fire burned the back of her bare neck. She choked, "Leave me alone. I'm not your slave."  
The Reman scoffed, "It's been a year and a half. Really you don't still believe you matter to anyone up there?"  
Aradia spat out, "I'll never stop believing!"  
The Reman smacked her hard in her face with a flat palm, and Aradia's head twisted. Her small-framed body followed, and she landed on her side, a new bruise already welted on her face. She turned and a shadow of light revealed the wound above her brow that never fully healed and scarred her appearance. The Reman snarled as Aradia struggled to rise, keeping in the rage and pain.  
"Clean it!" the Reman threw his heavy neck armor to the ground and began to stalk off.  
Aradia managed to get to the palms of her hands, where she glared at the vanishing Reman. "NO!" The Reman turned and smiled sadistically, another Reman suddenly appearing from the dark corridor outside, who Aradia recognized as Syzhok. She hissed, her body cringing and shrinking by instinct. Syzhok was just as armored as his Reman companion was, and he approached haughtily. The ridges on his forehead had deepened, showing his impending adulthood and elevated rank in the clan.  
Syzhok peered down at her, "Not cooperating today, are we?"  
Aradia snarled back at him, equally vicious in tone, "I want to speak with Vrhizak!" Syzhok laughed maniacally, "Oh...he knows your in perfect hands here with us." The other Reman snarled, and Syzhok leaned down. With his claws he grabbed the short hair on Aradia's scalp, pulling her to her knees. Aradia held back the screams of pain evident on her face, and she looked into Syzhok's eyes defiantly. Syzhok hissed in her face, "Or perhaps we should teach you another lesson...What do you say, Thim'Zek?" The other Reman stood taller, putting two bony claws on his hips, "I always wondered what it would be like to fuck 'er."  
  
Shinzon snarled to himself, baring his teeth in anger. He watched the horror on the woman named Aradia's face, and he flexed. Like a cat waiting to spring, he cocked his powerful double-bladed knife he'd received from Vkruk and gave undivided attention to the situation. A part of him felt rage towards the young Remans who threatened Aradia. He had never seen Reman hatred and brutality such as this, especially against one so vulnerable. The other part felt overwhelming awe and compassion for the woman. Her body, though wrapped tightly and bruised, enticed him. He had never been with another human, much less a female, and the chance to be next to the woman made him feel crazed like a trapped animal. To just touch her, feel her equally scarred skin...  
  
Syzhok nodded, "Yes...a lesson we haven't taught her enough apparently." Aradia felt the panic rising in her throat. "No!" "Louder!" Syzhok got closer and he ran the tips of his fangs along the curve of her neck, pulling her hair back more. Aradia flailed her arms and Thim'Zek circled around her back. He pushed himself into her back, holding her still. Aradia stopped struggling, preserving her strength. Syzhok dropped her hair and stepped back, lowering his glance. Slowly he pulled out a traditional Reman knife, and he lifted it. The darkness around them seemed to breathe with the uncertainty Aradia felt overwhelming her soul. Syzhok dropped the blade of the knife to Aradia's flesh. Suddenly, as Aradia watched the blade's sharp edge entranced, a white human hand flew out from the shadows and caught Syzhok in mid-swing just as Syzhok had a year and a half ago with the Romulan guards. The human arm struggled to keep it steady and both Aradia and Thim'Zek were shocked. Aradia, at first, thought she was hallucinating, but when she saw the dark silhouette, a hope swelled into her chest. She would live for one more hour. "What the hell!" Syzhok glared behind him.  
"Leave her alone!" A rough growl erupted brutally from the shadows. Aradia saw an advantage from the shock around her, and she threw herself to her feet. Thim'Zek fell back in surprise and fumbled as he tried to grab her neck. Aradia twisted from his grasp and Syzhok swirled around, twisting the human grip off his arm. As Syzhok glared into the complete darkness behind him, Shinzon suddenly ripped from the shadows at full speed, his body barreling into larger Reman. Shinzon felt powerful in his black combat-like suit that shimmered in the darkness, carefully crafted to allow flexibility and camouflage in the darkness. As he rammed the Reman, he harshly jabbed the knife into Syzhok's diaphragm through the seam of the armored uniform. Moments later he felt Reman blood pouring onto his hands, a sin he once thought he'd never feel. Aradia's mouth dropped open, in disbelief at the rough human that suddenly appeared in the fray. Her eyes knew it was a human physically, but his uniform and demeanor made her feel the same fear towards him that she felt towards the other Remans. He was a Reman Human. "Oh my God..."  
Syzhok choked, "Grab HER!!" Shinzon speechlessly ripped his bloodied knife out and a thin trail of flesh and bile streamed from it. The serrated edges tore the Reman's innards, and Syzhok fought through the pain on an adrenaline rush. Shinzon stepped back, a twisted smile on his face. Shinzon let his voice drop, "A flesh wound, Syzhok?" "I know who you are. Shinzon...you're the human of Vkruk! You human traitor!" Syzhok roared in rage. Aradia heard the name Shinzon, and she almost froze. The memories of her making into a male on the night she was discovered flooded into her memory, and she gasped when she remembered the story of the prophecy, the ship, and the insurrection of the Reman people. Her thoughts were interrupted as Thim'Zek threw himself into Aradia. Aradia swirled around as he tried to barrel-roll her, and he roared in pain and anger as he collapsed to the ground without cushioning. Aradia blocked Syzhok's view of what was happening to Thim'Zek, and she leaned over him, bringing a knee into his face. Blood spurted from the Reman's shallow bony nose. Shinzon glanced at her for a split-second, slightly amused at the small human blur beating up the Reman.  
Syzhok glared at Shinzon and bared his knife with his dying hands. Shinzon easily dodged his careless slashes, and within moments, Syzhok fell forward on his own blade. Shinzon heard a sick crack of bone, and Syzhok's large body twisted for a moment in shock. Then he was still, unconscious and permanently disabled. Shinzon's face snickered quietly at Syzhok, but he was distracted when he heard Aradia's loud scream. Surprised, he looked off in the distance at Aradia and Thim'Zek, the situation changed from moments before. Thim'Zek was on his belly as was Aradia, and he clawed forward to grab her ankles as she tried to creep away from him with her elbows. Aradia trailed a profuse stream of blood from a large shoulder wound and Thim'Zek's own blood mixed with hers on the ground. Thim'Zek's grip on Aradia's ankles hardened and the Reman twisted, hungry for her pain. "Come here you little bitch..."  
Aradia shut her eyes in agony when suddenly the double edged blade of Shinzon landed with a loud splat in Thim'Zek's left wrist. Shinzon moved to the side shadows and stabbed at just the right moment to avoid Aradia's small ankles.  
Thim'Zek glared up and barked, "Syzhok!"  
Shinzon's cool glance sneered at him as he pressed harder on his mordant knife, pinning Thim'Zek's left wrist to the ground like a nail. His eyes met Thim'Zek's calmly. "You're too late. I've already disposed of him." Aradia looked behind her, hearing the commotion as Thim'Zek's brutal twisting stops. Her face was tear-stained and flushed with adrenaline, the welts bleeding and her shoulder pounding in pain. Just as she looked, Shinzon ripped up the knife and stabbed it into the side of Thim'Zek's neck, which would have ironically been impossible if he hadn't thrown it at Aradia to clean minutes before. It only took seconds for Thim'Zek to choke and fall flat on the ground, twitching as the blood poured freely from his spliced jugular.  
  
Silence. Aradia froze, her eyes meeting Shinzon's as he took back his blade and examined the blood on it. Aradia watched him slowly rise to his feet, unharmed and unaffected by the violence. Shinzon turned to look at her from the side, his large eyes curious but stern. He scanned her body, and Aradia moved to her feet as best as she could, shaking and nearly slipping on her own blood. She didn't make it to standing, so she sat on her knees in awe and fear. Shinzon was the palest human she had ever remembered seeing. His veins were more colored than his skin. His hair was rough and was in need of a shave, and Aradia was surprised when the medium-framed man stepped a little closer. His eyes peered at her with intense hazel color, and Aradia wondered if he could see her like she saw him in the darkness. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, trying to calm herself. He was a human, she had nothing to fear. But for some reason she couldn't push herself past his appearance. Shinzon's soft voice in the utter silence made her jump. "And to think...it has been 13 years. 13 years since I've seen one of you."  
Aradia could barely breathe, "You're a human..."  
Shinzon looked at her in the shadows, cowering and trembling like a frightened lone Romulan surrounded by Remans. His eyes traced her curves, more visible up close, and he wanted to tear the Vrhizak uniform from her delicate body by instinct, releasing her curves and succulent flesh underneath. He wanted to free her, a human like him at the very core even if their current states denied it. He let his head cock to the side with a small ironic smile, "As are you."  
Aradia opened her mouth to speak but could only moan loudly when a ripping pain surged up her arm and shoulder. She grabbed it quickly, falling back to her rear and landing against the nearest wall. Shinzon frowned and stared at the wound, slowly coming closer. Already the flesh around the initial slash had turned a black color, and he sighed in concern. All he needed was the only human female he'd ever seen to die before him before he even got a chance to speak with her. He reached out with the tips of his white fingers to caress it. "Stay still. I am here to help you. You don't need to fear me."  
Aradia looked at him, half-enthralled, "It's not fear I'm feeling right now...more like..." The wound suddenly bled out harder, and Aradia looked down at it in horror. She looked back at Shinzon, her voice soft in fear. The swoon of blood made her nauseous and dizzy with black dots beginning to swirl in her vision. "I...I think my arm is disintegrating."  
Shinzon pulled back at the warmth of her blood. "Vrhizak's weapons are coated. You must get it procured or it will disintegrate. Here...come with me."  
Shinzon stood slowly and held out his hand. Aradia looked at him in disbelief, shaking her head. A part of her was grateful he was there, but the other part was defensive. He could easily kill her or keep her like the other Remans did. She felt her consciousness fading more and more as the moist pool of blood spread on her, and she didn't want to end up like before when she lost it. Aradia spat out with a deep breath, "Who the hell are you and what do you want from me?! Why did you save me...?" Shinzon smiled, smirking thoughtfully. He wiped the blade on the flared bottom of his sleek pant-leg, and he turned back to her. He cocked his head at her coyly. "I'm Shinzon of Remus. And I want to get to know you better. We are both humans, after all." Aradia struggled to keep her head up, "I've heard about that name...somewhere before." Shinzon lowered his gaze, "Your name is Aradia?" Aradia blinked in disbelief, still holding her pulsing arm. Shinzon stood quietly, motionless and softening his face. She melted back, her fear turning to curiosity in the swoon of nausea and faintness that overcame her. Her tone was still sharp, but she could barely keep her eyes from rolling back into her head. She felt the back of her head strike the hard rock behind her and heard her voice weaken, "It is. Why did you save me? Are you a spy of Vrhizak...?" "Actually...now that I've killed two of his Reman guards you can say I'm more an enemy. Wouldn't you agree?" "What do you want? I thought I'd never see a human again in my life..." Immediately Shinzon felt his skin tingling at her words. He stepped forward slowly, sliding his knife back into its barrel at his side. He stepped from the shadows, more in view. Aradia watched him, leaning back in pain. Shinzon leaned down, and Aradia winced when he brought the palm of his hand to brush the side of her face. Shinzon just wanted to make sure she was real, in physical beauty and in human emotion. Every culmination and every training session never prepared him for anything like this. He breathed slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Well, that may not be necessarily true. For either of us," Shinzon closed his eyes momentarily, an emotional weight suddenly lifted from his shoulders. He couldn't explain what it was, but he suddenly felt lighter, more in control. Aradia tried to come back, "What...what do you want?" Shinzon put his elbow on his knee, "I'm here to take you to my home. It is a three months journey but you have my protection and the protection of my Reman soldiers..."  
Aradia opened her eyes, protesting meekly, "No...no more bastard Remans. No..."  
Shinzon looked behind his shoulder, suddenly hearing a footfall with his sharp hearing. "I'm afraid you have no choice."  
"To die here or go with you?" Shinzon glanced up into the shadows behind them, and he swallowed. Slowly he began rising from his perching position. "I can hear about five Remans on their way to investigate why their two friends haven't returned. And that, my dear Aradia...gives you about ten seconds to decide to come with me or be killed." "Shit. God...my arm," Aradia moaned more loudly, and she shook her head at his extended arm. Frowning, Shinzon insisted with his open palm even more, and Aradia slumped over, losing her consciousness. Shinzon wrapped his forearm around hers, and he lifted her effortlessly to her feet, coaxing her to stay awake. The lightness and petite size of her body surprised him. Stirred, Aradia steadied herself against him and Shinzon pressed himself against the wall outside the Reman building besides their spot, holding her up. The Remans came around opposite the corner in the front of the building, their shadows creeping further away. Shinzon crept to the front, looking out into the barely lit Reman campground. He shook Aradia, who lifted her head and wearily looked into the darkness. Shinzon grabbed her wrist hard and darted. Aradia followed his lead with great difficulty. Shinzon slowed down when he found a large cover behind a well-like fixture six meters away from the campground, and Aradia fell besides him. She leaned over and her head fell onto his shoulder practically in weakness. Shinzon looked at her, his eyes scanning her intensely in curiosity and confusion. He placed his hands in the curve of her hips, lifting her against him for better leverage. "Why can't you walk?" Shinzon whispered in her ear. He marveled that such weakness and size could have survived the abuse of Vrhizak, but somehow he felt the power of her sheer determination to follow him and her seductive female body made up for whatever she lacked in brute physical strength. Aradia moaned inaudibly and collapsed against him. She tried to breathe more deeply, but it choked in her throat and got lost in the consuming darkness overcoming her sight. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and Shinzon pressed his hand to the blood on her arm. Aradia jerked to life, the pain ripping into the darkness to temporarily bring her back. She opened her eyes and looked up wildly at Shinzon, her head against his chest. In the distance, a few Reman guards hollered loudly and peered into the surroundings, suspicious. Shinzon heard and spied them, his head peering over the edge of the large well. A small smile came to his face and Aradia frowned deeply. "There's something about Remans, Aradia. They are extremely intelligent, but they also have a fatal weakness." "And what...what is that?" Aradia lifted her head.  
Shinzon looked down, an ironic grin on his face. "Rashness. You see, they are going to discover the bodies, Aradia, and right away they will begin shouting, roaring...basically blowing what cover they have for hunting down the murderers."  
Aradia moaned loudly. "Can you just help me and we can get the hell out of here?" Shinzon looked down at her, slightly annoyed, and he grabbed her hand. He pulled her to her feet and nearly dragged her along on his shoulder and strong arm, spurring her on in the shadows.  
  
The camp was small, consisting of three tents and two small open shelters. Two medium-sized public fires burned, one warming a pail of water and another for warmth and relaxation in the cool night. Three Reman guards stationed themselves around the perimeter of the grounds while the few that were left relaxed and waited for Shinzon's return. Minz'Tel was assigned in charge of security for the duration of the trip by Shinzon, and he was intent on not failing him and regaining Vrhizak's trust. He stood on outlook on a small elevated rock, his bony face hardened against the harsh breeze that kicked up the dust and threw it into his eyes. His eyes caught an odd shadowy figure a hundred meters away, moving closer. Glancing at the horizon and the stars, he figured the time since Shinzon left and turned to the three Remans at his back, lightly clothed with a few light weapons. Minz'Tel's voice was hushed, "He comes! And he has the human!" A younger guard frowned, "I thought he WAS human..." Minz'Tel scowled, "Silence!"  
  
Shinzon approached the raised outcropping, Aradia in his arms lightly moaning at every moment he made. Shinzon watched her intensely, noticing every detail of her body that felt like a mystery to him. He felt the sharp ends of Aradia's bones against his skin, and her strong but starved muscles tightly strained in malnourishment. Shinzon cringed when he noticed her bruises that were visible close up, marring her beauty tragically. Her ankles were sprained from Thim'Zek's last act of brutality against her, and welts of blue and black spread through her legs. Her loss of blood between the time she was conscious and unconscious was more dramatic than he'd expected it to be. The wound had grown even more, more blood seeping slowly until Shinzon's front side of his uniform was a deeper black color because of her blood. He could almost smell the copper blood that poured on his hands and drenched his uniform.  
Minz'Tel suddenly came out from the shadows, Shinzon not noticing him until it was too late for him to hide the alarm he felt. Minz'Tel frowned and motioned to Aradia, "Welcome back, brother. I see you have her."  
"I have her all right. She's injured badly." Shinzon climbed up the last elevation, and Aradia's eyes suddenly opened slightly at Minz'Tel's voice. Her eyes portrayed the betrayal she felt, and she lolled her head back, letting go of Shinzon's support and nearly falling from his arms. Shinzon felt her falling and he caught her with his large forearms, pulling her back up.  
Shinzon scowled, "Now is not the time for doubts!"  
Aradia's voice was a moan, "I'd either get killed by Vrhizak...or YOU."  
Shinzon didn't look at her, but continued walking past the Reman guards, who froze and stood up to observe the human female. Looks of surprised crossed their faces, and Shinzon nodded at them and tried to ward them off with a glare. "Now why would I save someone I would want to kill? I'm not a selfish man, Aradia. I would have let Vrhizak's Remans kill you if I didn't care."  
Minz'Tel followed Shinzon closely, peering over his shoulder to look at Aradia's face. "Aradia...such a human name."  
Aradia's voice suddenly became stronger, "Don't...Don't talk to me!"  
Aradia opened her eyes the whole way and glared the Remans down through her pale grim face. All of them became confused and put off by her offense, Minz'Tel grunting in slight amusement. Shinzon sighed and hurried past them, seeking a good spot for them to be alone. He crept to his personal area separated from the rest of the Remans by a long cotton-like sheet, nodded to the two guards outside its flap, and entered carefully with Aradia still in his arms. He gently set her down near a small private fire hidden behind the tent cloth that he kept for his own use, and he leaned forward to smell her in the midst of the ash-smell. He drew his face close to her, trying to rouse her. "Aradia, we have a small camp. Food. Meat. We will give you new clothes and let you wash yourself. We mean you no harm. You are our help just as much as we are yours." Aradia's body was pliable in his grasp as he set her down, and it relaxed in the natural curves of the ground below. Her eyes fluttered, "I have nothing to offer any of these Remans." Shinzon sighed and sat up, her moan resounding in pain. He reached behind her to run his index finger through her short hair, careful not to cause her reason for mistrust. He closed his eyes and breathed the unique scent of her, savoring the moment. Seductively, he brought his head parallel to hers and let his breath softly blow against the side of her cheek. Aradia felt his warm breath tickling her sensitive cheek, and she snapped her eyes open. She looked at him curious and a bit anxious, but much less afraid of him than the Remans. She peered most of all into his eyes, and she wondered what he thought of her. His hazel eyes stared at her more intensely and less judging than any man's she'd ever met. His eyes seemed to consume her body and face without any sort of criticism or stereotype, touching only on the very details of her as notes and nothing more. Shinzon let his voice drop, smoothing his usually harsh tone, "You may be useless to them, but you have so much to offer me." Aradia pondered his words and stared at Shinzon through the pain. A small sigh passed from her lips, and she wasn't sure what she felt towards him. Shinzon smiled widely and moved from her silently, vanishing into the shadows untouched by the central fire's warm light. Quickly he exited his private quarters and Aradia heard a low rumble of Remans outside, vocalizing what sounded like laughter to her.  
  
Minz'Tel greeted Shinzon, who entered the Reman's tent abruptly with a stern look on his face. Minz'Tel noticed Shinzon's tenseness and he brought his hands out, "Brother! It has been a very successful night. We must move quickly though. Is she able to walk?"  
Shinzon didn't answer right away, but instead walked over to Minz'Tel's personal belongings and grabbed one of his large casual shirts. Shinzon glanced up at him when Minz'Tel let a small smirk escape his lips. "She is not as strong as I anticipated. I need to treat her."  
With a small nod, Minz'Tel moved to the side and offered Shinzon gauze from a small flap in the tent's fabric. Shinzon accepted it and took a deep breath. He remembered his own experience with Vrhizak's weapons sorely, "I have been poisoned by Vrhizak's clansmen before."  
Minz'Tel looked up and stopped momentarily, remembering the medical incidences in Shinzon's short life. He studied the human curiously, whose head was down as he arranged a makeshift medical kit. Minz'Tel took a slow breath, "You remember things you shouldn't."  
Shinzon felt his brow deepening, the hard eyes of the Reman staring through him as if he was a thin shield of glass ready to break. "There are things a man cannot forget."  
Minz'Tel let his eyes trace the hard curves of Shinzon's body still dressed in the confining black combat suit stained with blood. The man was aged well beyond his youthful 18 years, and every year seemed to put ten more across Shinzon's blatant face. It seemed just yesterday he was the screaming benevolent tan human named Jean-Luc, holding his arms to his ears as every heartbeat mercilessly pounded louder and louder with the onslaught of countless torturous days. The scars across the human's body... Minz'Tel knew every one of them. After all, he had been the medical consultant for Vkruk for more than 12 years of Shinzon's life. He had been the one to find the Terran man who had taken mercy on all of them and on Shinzon especially. But now it wasn't the hardened Reman-like features the human bore or the tired look in his eyes that gave Minz'Tel unique Reman fear. It was the way Shinzon's face portrayed every emotional scar at once, as if the human dealt with each one all at the same time. The void he saw within the human cooled Minz'Tel's courage towards Shinzon more than any physical harm he had seen the human sustain and deal out. It was emptiness inside Shinzon's eyes that made Minz'Tel lower his head and turn away. "I will prepare some water and clothing..."  
Shinzon stopped and looked up. "Thank you. I will...prepare her for transport."  
"What will we tell the Romulans when they see her?"  
Shinzon let a sinister smile cross his lips as he looked up from the kit, "Well, we won't be letting them see her now, will we?"  
Minz'Tel breathed hard through his bony nostrils, pondering to himself. "They will notice her, surely."  
"We can keep her inside the ancient caverns. The Foyer is large enough for her and she may even be useful. I think she is very intelligent..."  
Minz'Tel turned. Despite the Reman influence on the human, idealism still shone from his hazel eyes and it made Minz'Tel's spirit hurt. "We will see, Shinzon."  
Shinzon picked up the gauze and sensed Minz'Tel's sarcasm. With a smirk, he tucked the kit under his arm, "Yes, we certainly will, won't we?"  
  
The fires burned intensely in the unusually active Reman campground, and all around Vrhizak's perimeter Reman guards armed with daggers stalked quietly as to not disturb the Romulan guards that slept a kilometer away. The tiny tents glowed alive with fire, and the sulfuric steam vents exploded more furiously than the night before.  
On an elevated stone platform in the center of the camp where the main fire usually was, two dead Reman corpses laid, their weapons and armor set aside almost lovingly.  
Vrhizak ripped from his larger tent and almost immediately his eyes lay on the bodies. A small gasp escaped from his thin lips, but the surprise soon changed to rage as he scanned the bodies and looked at the farthest one's face.  
"Syzhok..." the word fell from his mouth barely above a growling whisper.  
The Remans who had assembled the bodies froze when they overheard Vrhizak's roar that rose from the painful shock that coursed in his ancient veins. The younger Reman froze and looked behind him from his tent, and he felt a lump forming in his throat when he saw Vrhizak's bent form, mouth elongated and full of fangs. The roar rose high into the bleeding sky and every Reman in the camp lowered in universal instinctual cringe.  
"GUR'THIK!"  
The young Reman whimpered under his breath and threw himself forward into his tent, trying to stall the impending meeting he knew he would have with Vrhizak. Inside the dark tent, he could see two other of his fellow Remans, all crouching ominously. Vrhizak's hard footfall was coming closer and Gur'Thik hid the anxiety he felt.  
"He's going to find you here," the larger Reman of the two before him smirked quietly.  
Gur'Thik's eyes narrowed in concentration, and he tried to ward off the tingling his mind felt as Vrhizak scanned the camp. Gur'Thik swallowed hard, "Enough of this shit. Have any of you seen Is'zhark?"  
"Vrhizak already found him," the Reman nodded to the exit. "Dragged him to his tent. Haven't seen him since the night began."  
Suddenly the flap of the tent exploded open, and Vrhizak's face was bright in the darkness as he glared into the tent. Immediately his eyes met Gur'Thik's, and within seconds, Vrhizak single-handedly reached in, grabbed his soldier's forearm and tore him from the tent. Vrhizak's sharp talons dug into Gur'Thik's flesh and he growled under his breath, a thin slim of foam spurting from his lips.  
Gur'Thik had no time to react, and had he, he wouldn't have done anything. Vrhizak was the master and sole leader of the camp. He was the Father, the clan master, the one who shared secrets they all hoped to have one day for their own survival. With the death of Vrhizak or even the abandonment of him, the clan would be lost. And so Gur'Thik just closed his eyes and submitted to the beating he knew he was going to receive.  
"Look at this. Look at this!" Vrhizak dragged Gur'Thik from the spot, the hard ground scratched by the Reman's heavy body. Gur'Thik rolled his eyes back as he felt his arm nearly twisting from its socket, and he tried to stand as Vrhizak threw him before the corpses of Syzhok and Thim'Zek.  
"Vrrr...Vrhizak! Brother..."  
Vrhizak's nostrils flared, and his eyes glowered enflamed. "I want to know exactly where the holy fuck you were and why my son is dead!"  
Gur'Thik rolled onto his back, lifting his palms above him. "Brother, we are all family here...I implore your patience."  
Vrhizak raised his claws and threatened to slam them down on the smaller Reman. Gur'Thik rose to his knees, his palms still extended in peace. Several Reman guards approached Vrhizak from behind and got into ready position, wearily staring at their leader in case the situation escalated.  
"Let me come to your home...I will explain to you what we've found."  
Vrhizak snarled, "Is'zhark already tried that...I am unimpressed by your mediocre performance."  
A Reman from behind Vrhizak came forward and slowly spoke up, "Friend...Brother. I implore as well. For him and the peace of the Clan."  
Vrhizak glared behind him and threw his arm to his side. In the darkness the small throng of Remans could see the blue orbs of his beady eyes piercing into the opaque light, and they all backed off a few feet. The Reman who defended him Gur'Thik could recognize as Virsvam.  
Vrhizak barked, "Very well. In my tent, NOW!"  
  
Gur'Thik entered the tent with Vrhizak cautiously, who stepped behind him and shoved him to the ground.  
Vrhizak's tent was larger than the others, approximately three by four meters, and a ratted blanket covered the first half of the dirt floor. The walls were tarp and held down by large metal reinforcement rods normally used for making Romulan weapons, and Gur'Thik peered at the large fire that seemed unholy in such a small space.  
From the left side Gur'Thik spied movement and he glanced over. Is'zhark sat with his hands behind his back, and his legs spread in front of him. His bony face was bruised and bared several new wounds, which Gur'Thik knew was from Vrhizak's talons. Is'zhark looked at Gur'Thik blandly, nodding momentarily to acknowledge him.  
Vrhizak stormed past Gur'Thik's body on the ground and crossing his long talons behind his back, he peered at the fire. Almost immediately his demeanor changed from fury to quiet contemplation as the flames threw their comforting arms of shadows around him.  
Gur'Thik slowly crept to his elbows and began sitting up. He lowered his voice and looked away from Vrhizak's eyes. "Brother, she escaped. There was nothing we could have done...there were no warnings. Syzhok hadn't even told us he was going to check on Aradia."  
Suddenly Vrhizak took a deep breath and he growled loudly, "Those wounds are not from Aradia. Whoever fought Syzhok was a Reman."  
Gur'Thik's mind raced. He couldn't be a suspect. "We did all we could! We found Syzhok and Thim'Zek too late."  
Vrhizak became disgusted. "Oh...Syzhok," he paused and turned, pointing his talon, "You fool! You should have heard the frenzy!"  
Is'zhark suddenly belted out, "There was no noise!"  
Gur'Thik snarled under his breath, "We tell the truth. No one heard it, father."  
Vrhizak turned and roared, "Silence!"  
Is'zhark was unrelenting, "Brother, we too mourn the loss of our two best guards. But with all due respect, whatever slaughtered our guards has only taken two. And no more."  
Vrhizak was silent, and his face grew more irate. He paced for a moment, glaring at the two Remans in front of him. In anger, he lifted his hand and this time brought it down into Gur'Thik's face, sending the younger Reman flying to the ground with a hard thud. Gur'Thik felt his consciousness fading and he heard the crack of his skull against the hard floor.  
Is'zhark snarled loudly and brought himself forward, "Father!"  
Vrhizak lifted his claws again, this time threatening Is'zhark. "Fools! Do you realize the implications? We don't know WHAT or WHO got either of them then! And you both were the lead guards in CHARGE at the time of their deaths..."  
Is'zhark shook his head and felt a swoon overcoming him as he crawled to his knees. "The weapon used was Reman. The wounds were serrated and whoever fought, fought like a Reman."  
Vrhizak bent down and screeched. "Which Reman?! Tell me! Tell me who I need to kill!"  
Gur'Thik slowly opened his eyes when he heard Vrhizak's ear-splitting screech. He moaned and became silent when he didn't hear Is'zhark responding.  
Is'zhark sighed deeply, "We do not know."  
Vrhizak roared again in anger. Is'zhark bowed his head and reached a claw out to Gur'Thik. Gur'Thik slowly sat up and together they balanced on each other as they rose to their feet. Is'zhark held Gur'Thik steady and sighed deeply.  
Vrhizak began with a heated fury, "We will scan the entire vicinity. Which Reman in this forsaken camp is most likely to mutineer? I want spies. I want ambassadors to camps around this one! MY clan will NOT be killed off one by one."  
Is'zhark swallowed, trying to redeem them both, "Brother, what if it was a Romulan with a Reman weapon?"  
Vrhizak hissed, "Romulans don't fight and certainly don't kill the way this man did."  
"So that leaves out Aradia as the sole proprietor of this attack?" Gur'Thik rubbed his face, two raw wounds beginning to bleed.  
"You moron, of course. This is why Syzhok was the leader of you, and not you over him," Vrhizak growled and looked back at the fire.  
Is'zhark cleared his throat, "I will assemble the most trusted of our Reman brothers for spies, my father."  
Gur'Thik finally stood alone and steadied himself, glaring at his fellow Reman. He scowled at Vrhizak's words, but the sternness in Is'zhark's face kept him from going off on his master. Instead he followed suit and tried to lighten Vrhizak's violent temperament, "Brother, I disagree. We should look into Romulans or Aradia. Did she have any friends who could have helped her do this?" "She has no friends here! She is a whore. Nothing more and Romulans can not fight the way Remans can!" Is'zhark took over, "No, my brother. I will speak to the officers and see if anyone saw anything." Vrhizak pursed his thin lips and kicked the dirt around the flame violently. The dust suffocated the flame and sent the tent into a complete darkness that echoed the blackness overwhelming the already hardened soul of the Reman clan leader. A certain death reached out from Syzhok's drained cadaver and Gur'Thik swore he saw a glimmer of it in Vrhizak's azure eyes as he turned and portentously glared them out of the tent. 


	5. Chapter Four : Comalies

STAR TREK: NEMESIS- Chronicles- By the Lightless Flame  
Story Concept Created by John Logan, Rick Berman, and Brent Spiner  
All Star Trek characters and related concepts are property of Paramount. All concepts created solely by the Lightless Flame are the property of the Lightless Flame. "Comalies" is a song title copyrighted by Lacuna Coil. Violators will be prosecuted by Federal Law.  
  
CHAPTER FOUR – Comalies  
  
The flames flickered around room, throwing shadows against the pale skin of Aradia as she slept against the farthest wall of Shinzon's private tent where she had initially been laid. Slowly and soundlessly, Shinzon lowered himself by the central flame and set up the gauze and a small set of twigs. He also brought in a small clay bowl filled with clear water.  
Aradia was deathly silent and still as he glanced over at her when he was finished with setting up the medical kit. Her arms were wrapped around her torso and her legs were tucked under her in fetal position. Shinzon could see the coldness in her body. The bright red and black wound on her arm glared against her pale skin, and he muttered to himself when he saw that it had bled out even more.  
Shinzon brought his hand to the wound, wondering if she would awaken and if it would be best to let her sleep. He let his fingertips touch the very edge of the jagged wound, and he closed his eyes in a trance when he felt the throbbing warmth of her skin and blood. Opening his eyes, he looked into her face and noted the smoothness of her skin. The delicate folds of her eyelids were hinted with a shade of natural tan, and her cheeks were high in the shadowy fire light. A small moan escaped his throat, and he let the palm of his hand come to gently rest on her forearm.  
  
"Mmmm..." Aradia suddenly stirred. Under her smooth eyelids, Shinzon watched as her eyes moved and he froze when he saw the two slits of her eyes slowly slide back. In the light, he caught the sapphire color of her irises and he brought himself a little closer, peering down into her face.  
"Aradia," Shinzon cringed when he heard the harsh tone of his voice. He cleared his throat and tried again more smoothly. "Don't move, Aradia. You have lost too much blood to exert yourself."  
Aradia's eyes focused on Shinzon as she slowly opened them to look at him more fully. The light was dim and she moaned loudly. She could make out the pale contour of his roughly shaven head and his hand on her forearm. The calloused touch of his skin made her shiver violently, and Shinzon removed his hand dejectedly as soon as she started shaking. Aradia noticed the expression on his face and as much as he tried to hide it, she could see the rejection in his eyes.  
"What the hell..." Aradia's voice was hoarse.  
Shinzon sat back slowly, regaining his composure. "You are in my camp. Do you remember anything?"  
"Of course I do..."Aradia scowled and frowned deeply. She unfolded her arms but as soon as she straightened them, she yelped in pain and looked at the bloody mess on her right arm. "Oh...I remember that now too..."  
"You've lost a lot of blood. Stay still," Shinzon sternly looked at her, slowly reaching over to bring the small clay bowl of water to them. He tore a clean corner from Minz'Tel's shirt he borrowed and wet it down. Aradia watched him critically, her eyes moving from the fire to the water, and then to the twigs and finally back to Shinzon.  
"What are you doing?" Her voice was no more than a whisper. She laid her head back down on the cooled ground and shivered involuntarily.  
Shinzon gently lifted the wet cloth and grabbed her forearm to keep it still. "We must procure it or the poison will eat away at your flesh until there's nothing left."  
Slowly he pressed the wet cloth to her wound, and a look of pain crossed over Aradia's face. It faded a few moments later and she wearily followed his actions as he dipped it into the water and repeated the process. Aradia sighed deeply and looked at the clay bowl. Already the water was a light scarlet red that burned in the dim light. Shinzon noticed her apprehension and finished cleaning her arm.  
"Why did you save me?" Aradia felt a wave of nausea passing over her at the sight of her own blood dripping from the cloth excessively.  
Shinzon couldn't help but let a sarcastic smile cross his lips, "You can help us, help me. I want to know more about you. Humans here must...stick together or find Reman allies if they want to survive."  
Aradia took a deep breath, still constricted by the uniform Vrhizak forced her to wear. "I need information on how to get out of here."  
Shinzon's eyes widened and he threw the cloth into the bowl. "I was hoping you'd ask me that! It appears we have similar motivations."  
Aradia shook her head. "You must have a way out of here. You're...I mean, you act like a..." Aradia suddenly felt at a loss for words. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Shinzon looked at her for a moment longer and then looked down at her arm, continuing his work quietly. Aradia looked down to meet his eyes but he avoided hers, a small sigh touching the edge of his lips.  
"A Reman?" Shinzon's voice was barely above a murmur.  
Aradia sighed, trying to rationalize just what 'Shinzon' was. "Well...I mean...you're Reman. But you're human. But the way you fight...that uniform...and those...Reman bastards! They do what you tell them, don't they?"  
Shinzon leaned back and smirked, amused by Aradia's ignorance more than he'd expected to be. He turned around to loosen the collar of the black combat suit and pushed the flaps aside, his smooth sculpted chest glimmering in the near darkness. More comfortable, he bowed forward, taking the curve of her muscular forearm and carefully lifting one of the twigs with the other. He let the small end of the twig touch the tip of the hot fire, and as soon as it was lit he brought it down to the wiped wound. Blood still seeped from it profusely but the hotness of the flame almost immediately slowed it.  
Aradia watched all of it, and within moments, shrieked as the flame grazed the raw skin of the wound. She tried to shake her arm from him but he firmly held it. Squeamish, she clenched her eyes shut. "What are you doing?! You're making it hurt worse..."  
Shinzon patiently held her arm tighter, "The fire draws the poison from the wound, and will dry the top layer of your skin, which will most likely die in the next 24 hours."  
Aradia felt her anger rising as Shinzon ignored her whimpers. She choked loudly, hiding her tears that welled in her eyes and threatened to fall. Shinzon stopped and looked up, surprised at her reaction. He quickly finished the step and stopped, sympathizing with her human pain but unsure of how to act in response. Her tears glimmered brilliantly in the dim light, and Shinzon swallowed the lump in his throat. Aradia looked at him in anger and in fear, and he could tell she was trying to hide it.  
Shinzon gently leaned into her face, "Don't be afraid, Aradia."  
Aradia drew a deep breath and tried to hide the desperation she knew was written in her eyes. She tried to speak calmly but the tension coursing through her body made it near impossible. "Please...I'll give you anything you want in exchange for my freedom. Drugs, sex...whores, Romulan weapons...anything."  
Shinzon frowned, "But you are free. I'm not keeping you here."  
"And the minute I try to leave, a huge ass load of Romulans or Remans will be right there to stop me! I'm talking about freedom. OFF this planet," Aradia sniffed, choking back a small cry again. Shinzon listened quietly and then drew his hand to his side, bringing his large double-bladed knife forward. The pain and agony in her voice seemed too familiar to him. Aradia watched with uncertain eyes through her tears, the blade glimmering and still stained with the blood of the Remans he had killed with it. She stopped resisting, entranced by the knife and in near shock that he had drawn it on her. Shinzon noticed her anxiety and he sighed deeply. "Aradia...patience. Please." Aradia buried her head in her good arm, and she felt Shinzon's blade scraping off the top layer of infected skin and dried blood from the wound. The pain made her want to scream, and she tried to control the tension in her muscles. Shinzon quickly applied a compress of clean cloth to the wound and frowned when he heard Aradia choking again in misery. In her misery, he still felt drawn to her human warmth that felt familiar but all too strange at the same time. Aradia was compelled to stay in the comfortable darkness the crook of her arm offered. She didn't have to face the ugly Remans or the mysterious human that was 'healing' her. She almost stayed hidden when she suddenly felt a set of fingertips brush away the strands of fine hair from her temple. Aradia's eyes snapped open and she looked up, eyes glimmering as they met Shinzon's hazel orbs looming over her. Regardless of the situation, she felt a definitive comfort in his human presence. From Shinzon's face, she could tell he was visibly pleased with her trust in him, and he was confidant in his actions as she approved physically of them. Aradia heard her voice tremble. "We're the only humans here, aren't we?" Shinzon's voice lowered, and he began wrapping gauze around his fingers. "Perhaps no one ever told you this...but this is Remus. We are Remans, slaves to the Romulan guards, and humans sent here are usually abducted and left for dead. Most that come here...die."  
Aradia shook her head, "You've got the kidding me. You haven't been here long... have you?"  
Shinzon looked at her as if she was joking, and he felt his eyes darkening in childish excitement at her curiosity. He took another rag and pressed it a final time to the now procured wound. "A lifetime is not a very long time..."  
Aradia pondered for a moment, and then her eyes widened, "A lifetime? You can't be serious..." Shinzon froze, setting gauze aside as he looked her in the eye. His smile faded and he lowered his glance. "How did you get here?" Aradia groaned in frustration, and she looked away. "I was a dancer. For a Romulan senator." Shinzon sneered loudly, beginning again to wrap the gauze. At first he was rough as he took her upper arm by the palm of his hand, but when Aradia yelped he pulled back surprised. Aradia glared at him and he took her arm again much more gently. "They don't care for anyone but themselves. They left you here for dead." Aradia shook her head, "I...I can't accept that." Shinzon stopped momentarily and looked at her, "Why not?" "He...we had a deal," Aradia's voice was in disbelief. "I would do what he wanted and he would let me stay. He...he seemed noble."  
Shinzon raised his brow, "What an ironic choice of words. The noble race here, Aradia, is the Remans."  
Aradia frowned and almost sat up, "Never! No! Look at what they've done!"  
Shinzon was quiet for a few moments, and then he picked up more of the gauze. Slowly he applied it to the wound, which absorbed the gauze and began drying. "If the Romulans hadn't abandoned you, they would have never had the chance." Aradia was quiet, and Shinzon finished with the last piece of gauze. Though grotesque, the wound stopped spreading and the bleeding was under control. Shinzon smiled gently and let his fingers wrap around her forearm, rubbing his thumb lightly against the wound. He was entranced by her skin's luminous smoothness and her smaller but powerful frame. He massaged the skin around the gauze and looked down at her, stopping when he realized she noticed his actions. Aradia watched him with surprise at his sudden affection. As much as Shinzon expected her to, Aradia didn't pull away. Instead she sighed lightly and moved her head below his to look into his eyes. She licked her lips and swallowed the cotton in her mouth, "Thank you."  
  
At first Shinzon retracted from the close contact, but then he couldn't help but peer at her face. By instinct alone he let his hand touch her jaw line softly and run his thumb up and down its side. He felt the electricity surge through him as he touched her for the first time as a human should have. Every Reman aversion he usually felt to close physical contact suddenly dissipated into a cool human desire to be close to her. Just like in the dreams... Shinzon let a deep breath roll off his tongue. "Your real object of anger should be the Romulans, not my Reman brothers." Aradia closed her eyes, grateful for the first human warmth she'd felt in a year and a half. She lolled her head into his hand more, balancing herself to sitting with her palms to the side of her hips. She softly whispered, "What if I hate both?" Shinzon cringed, "Then you will gain nothing, including your freedom." Aradia looked down, suddenly lifting her head and pulling away from Shinzon's touch. Shinzon let his hand drop to her neck line, where he wrapped his fingers and traced the curve of her neck with them. He let his thumb rest on her jaw line, tracing every curve of her face more seductively than he intended. He suddenly felt his actions towards Aradia emanating from a primal source deep within him. The fluidity of touch impressed him, and he felt more naturally inclined towards the woman that lay before him than he had ever physically felt towards anyone before. "Aradia, give my brothers a chance. We are fighting the Romulans. We are ensuing justice, and you can help us like we can help you. Vengeance, Aradia...would you take it if I offered?" "For myself, Shinzon. I have enough problems outside of Remus to worry about on top of the problems inside Remus," Aradia peered at him, her face hardening. Shinzon leaned back and smiled sadistically, understanding her motive. He removed his hands from her, and she watched his face.  
"So, tell me. How does a human end up being a mistress to a cold Romulan senator?"  
Aradia was quiet, her eyes looking down at the fire in the center. She blinked a few times before she responded quietly. "Same way a human ends up being a slave on Remus." Shinzon snickered, his eyes meeting hers fiercely and passionately at the same time. "Oh, but you don't know half the story." Aradia frowned and looked at him from the side. "And you don't know half of mine." Unable to resist her warmth and fire, Shinzon leaned down closer to her face. Aradia willingly looked in his eyes, studying every feature color that pulse madly in his hazel orbs. She couldn't help but be drawn to the only human she's seen in months and she hated herself for it. Just as they were inches away, a heavy footfall entered the tent rather suddenly. A Reman came through the exit of the tent, and he threw back the cloth violently. In his claws he carried a light black cotton-like garment.  
  
Aradia was the first to break the connection she had with Shinzon in the moments their eyes met. She glanced to the exit of the tent, anger building in her face. When she saw the Reman more closely, she frowned and recognition broke on her face. Shinzon didn't move from the spot, not caring who noticed his more-than-enough-human desires. He made brief eye contact with Minz'Tel and went back to letting his eyes take in the feminine morsel in front of him.  
Minz'Tel cleared his throat, "Shinzon, I have her garments."  
With a sigh, Shinzon pulled back. "Very well. Aradia, if you'd like we have warm water outside. You have your own tent as well next to mine, for security purposes."  
Aradia looked over at Shinzon and shook her head, "I can't. I really don't feel fit to move right now..."  
Shinzon shrugged, trying to act indifferent. But he couldn't stop staring at her. The color had returned to her and she was now more alive than ever. "Then you can stay here and you'll clean up tomorrow. You should eat tomorrow morning." Minz'Tel noticed the enamored look in both of the young adults' faces, and he broke into their silence. He scowled at Shinzon, warning him with a swift wave to his mind. "Very well. Aradia...Shinzon. Shinzon, are you certain we can camp this close to Vrhizak's boundary lines?" Shinzon nodded, "We cannot move now. We are disclosed from Vrhizak and the Romulan guards. It will due for the next five hours." Minz'Tel nodded solemnly and watched them for a moment longer. He turned rejected and frustrated, stomping from the exit.  
As soon as he vanished, Aradia grabbed Shinzon's forearm and her voice quickened, "I...I've seen him before. That Reman...he...he was a part of Vrhizak's clan."  
Shinzon let a small smile cross his lips, "No, he was a spy there. He's in this clan. He saw your first weeks with Vrhizak."  
Aradia considered his words and nodded. Slowly she drew the painful memory up and felt a quiet anger building in her, "He watched it all and did nothing."  
Shinzon shook his head, "It wasn't his job to do something. The ones you should blame are Romulans, not us." Aradia closed her eyes, beginning to believe what he said as she suddenly felt very tired. Slowly she leaned up in pain and reached to pull Shinzon's loose collar, bringing him closer to her. At first Shinzon anticipated a passionate kiss from her, and he closed his eyes in anticipation. A few seconds passed when he realized that she wasn't planning on kissing him. Instead he felt her bury the side of her head into his bare chest. Her eyes closed and she almost immediately sighed in relief. Shinzon's face went from a small smile of inner glee as she pulled him to one of complete surprise as she changed direction and rubbed her soft cheek into his skin. Tense and unsure, he let her lean against him stiffly. Aradia's voice was soft, "I don't blame you, Shinzon. It's been too long since we've seen a human. You were right about that." Shinzon cleared his throat and leaned back against the wall of the tent, letting his fingertips fall to the curve of her hips. Quietly he looked at the entrance to his tent and reminisced out loud, trying to calm the pounding of his heart, "The only female I've seen was a Romulan. I was five or six at the time." "That's all? That's horrible," Aradia frowned and took a deep breath, "Just please...don't let them near me." "My Reman brothers?" Aradia nodded slowly, "Yes. I can't...do it. I can't be near them." Shinzon didn't reply. He frowned in disappointment and unconsciously found his fingers creeping to the twine strings of the uniform Vrhizak had forced her to wear. The uniform was still wrapped around her small body, constricting her. Aradia visibly cringed when he pressed down on the strings as he slowly began undoing them. But she didn't stop him, and her eyes closed as Shinzon pulled at the twine-strings. Soon the uniform became undone and the flaps loosened. Aradia let her breath go in grateful release, and almost immediately Shinzon felt the curves of her body falling forth from the tight material. Shinzon pushed the flaps of the rough fabric aside, revealing Aradia's bare bruised back. The strings had cut deep bloody calluses into her back and Aradia looked away when Shinzon moaned in shock and looked down at her. Slowly he moved his fingertips down the small curve of her spine, entranced but also disgusted at the mess. "What in the hell did they do to you?" Shinzon was shocked at the cruelty. He had never seen such actions at the hands of his brothers before. Not against someone as obviously helpless and clueless as Aradia. Aradia withdrew a deep breath, savoring the release, "Enough to push me. Not enough to kill me, although many times I wished for death." "I see that," Shinzon raised his brow and wrapped one of his forearms around her waist and held her closer. He pressed against one of the largest bruises across her lower back, and Aradia tensed up. Shinzon tried to pull away but he couldn't get past how soft her skin was. "Watch it," Aradia hissed in pain. "Goddamnit don't make it worse." "Romulan phasar blast," Shinzon's voice was barely above a whisper. Aradia looked up and saw his eyes staring spellbound at her skin. Only after a few moments Shinzon moved and looked straight into Aradia's eyes. "Still so...soft." Aradia frowned and let her chin rest against his chest. Shinzon ignored the sharpness of her mandible and saw the questioning in her eyes. "What is?" Shinzon let a small smile cross his lips, "Your scars." Aradia's thin lips slowly turned upward, but her smile quickly faded as she caught herself. "You've never been with a female? Aren't there other females here...somewhere?" Shinzon took a deep breath and became quiet. He looked away, imagining the times he had fantasized what it would be like to hold a woman in his arms. Now that those fantasies were fulfilled, he felt a throb deep inside of him that wanted more. A part of him was glad he still wore the combat suit, due to the nervous sweat that emanated from his body and the growing hardness of his manhood between his legs. Aradia could detect neither under his armor. "I have seen none in my lifetime." Aradia didn't respond. Shinzon became quiet, and under his arms he could feel Aradia's breathing becoming slower. She seemed so delicate, but he knew that she wasn't. Seeing her alive, seeing her fight and seeing her survive her wounds proved it. And even though she was marred with dirt and injuries, Shinzon could see the beauty of the woman that rested in his arms. He could see the iridescent glow of her pale skin and the subtle highlights of blond in her dark auburn hair. The colors that played along the curves on her face entranced him, and her scent grew more exotic it seemed with every passing moment. Shinzon had to contain the bestial emotions that ravaged his sanity. He wanted to rip off her clothing, grab her flesh, savor its softness and indulge in its curves. He wanted to feel her flesh melting under his muscles, giving way to every desire and wanton fantasy that raced through his psyche. What would happen...if I ripped off her clothes and took her right here? If I grabbed her just as roughly as Vhrizak had and pound my manhood into her tight flesh. What if I slapped her, tore her apart and made her be quiet the whole time... Aradia shifted in his arms, a light moan escaping her slightly parted lips. Her seeming helplessness helped the ebbing tide of his boner as a small smile caressed his full lips. With a low sadistic whisper, he held her more tightly, feeling her breasts squeeze against his muscles. "It's ironic...dear, how you'll never know how much danger you were in lying here in my arms." 


End file.
